Relieving the Pressure
by doctorsuez
Summary: Post Science in the Physicist. Brennan suffers the aftermath of their time in the resonance chamber and Booth is there to help her through it. Eventual Brennan / Booth hook up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -- Super big thanks to blc for all of her help on this story. You're great and I really appreciate the support!! If you guys haven't read her stuff, it's amazing.  
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**This story is an addendum to the end of Science in the Physicist. I loved the episode, but I really want to see Booth and Brennan comfort each other at some point--thus, this story. It will most likely be 3 or 4 chapters with eventual Brennan / Booth hookup. Rating will probably change to M if I can get the guts to write it that way.  
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**As a side note, those of you waiting for an update on Regaining Her Footing, it's coming soon. I've actually been a little stumped on it, but I think I know where I'm going with it now. Please be patient and hang in there with me.  
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**Please let me know what you think as always. I appreciate your thoughts and reviews.**

Disclaimer - Bones is property of Fox Broadcasting.

Relieving the Pressure

Seeley Booth let out a sigh, '_Man, what a case,' _he thought to himself. He was currently seated at a small round table in the middle of the Founding Fathers Bar with Sweets and Vincent Nigel-Murray. He was half listening to Sweets as he rambled on and on about hockey. Honestly, Booth was tired of him trying to bond by talking about hockey and besides, he had been studying his partner the entire time they had been sitting and he had some concerns. He had to shut Sweets up. "Sweets, give it a rest. What did you do, read _Ice Hockey for Dummies_ last weekend?"

The smile on the psychologist's face immediately disappeared -- Booth obviously accused him correctly. "No. . ." He took a gulp of his drink to push the embarrassment away so he could speak. "Well, yes, I did. I thought it would help me to understand a little of how you functioned and maybe give us a common thread to discuss in a more social setting."

Sweets hoped Booth wouldn't pummel him right there.

Nigel-Murray, ever the fountain of knowledge, had to chime in. "The first use of a puck instead of a ball in ice sports was in Kingston Harbor, Ontario in 1860," he stated dryly before continuing. "Ice hockey was derived from the ancient Egyptian use of a ball and stick in sports," he finished.

Booth opted not to comment. It wasn't worth it. He saw how the kid spouted off facts like an FBI agent fired bullets or Bones said she didn't know what something meant. The young man continued to ramble about some kind of history stuff, but Booth focused his attention back on his partner seated with Angela and Cam just a few tables away. His face grew long as he took her in. Something was wrong and he could tell. She had her head propped on her right hand, her hand cupped around her ear while she held her fork in her left hand, picking at her salad. He'd been counting the number of bites she had taken and was pretty sure she had only taken 6. He couldn't be certain, however, that he hadn't fallen asleep at some point during Sweets' diatribe on hockey.

Studying his partner was something at which he excelled. He could read her expressions, her thoughts, and right now, they screamed discomfort. He looked at Cam who gave him a slight shrug. She had picked up on something too. Angela, however, hadn't noticed – she'd been sitting with her phone glued to her ear for the last hour trying to get in touch with Hodgins to make sure he was still breathing.

Booth stared at her intently. He silently went over the events of the day in his head in effort to place his finger on what could be bothering her. '_Way to go hot shot,' _he thought to himself. _'You spend all this time trying to get her to trust you, to trust someone and you call her creepy. Sure, she responded by calling you stupid, but she didn't mean that I'm stupid. She just meant that I'm not an intellectual. I can understand that. She can't understand the difference between creepy and saying she had a creepy mode. Even if I ever told her that I thought her creepy mode was hot.'_ He sighed and let an audible "Dammit." His voiced frustration grabbed the attention of Sweets and Vincent.

Sweets spoke – as usual. "Something the matter, Agent Booth?"

"No, Sweets, everything's fine. I just want to get Bones out of here." He explained. "She's had a rough afternoon."

Sweets nodded. He had heard about the experience in the resonance chamber. Booth had shown him the original report taken at the scene. It included a signature by Dr. Brennan refusing any medical treatment from the paramedics. "You don't have any lingering effects?" Sweets prodded.

Booth shook his head. "No, my skull's way too thick for that and besides I took a couple of Excedrin like the paramedics recommended. My ears stopped ringing when Collar punched me." He laughed a little as he spoke.

Sweets laughed. "Yeah, I never would have thought a blind man could pack that strong of a punch." All three of the men laughed a little at the statement.

Honestly, he was ready to get out of there, so he stood, said his goodbyes, threw a twenty down on the table and walked over to his Bones. He placed a hand on her small shoulder. She was out of it, so she jumped at his touch. She dropped her for and let out a very loud, "What?" as she jumped.

"Jeez, Bones, I'm standing right here and I can hear now. You don't have to yell at me," he said.

She shook her head in effort to try to clear some of the fuzziness and gave him a little smile. "Sorry, I suppose my ears are just still ringing a little from this afternoon." She said and took a sip of her water.

Booth looked at his watch. It was only 7:30, but it seemed so much later. Their little experience in the resonance chamber had only occurred 3 hours earlier, but since then, they had managed to get the suspect, get him booked, and call it a day. He hated that it was only Wednesday. He always liked it when cases ended on Fridays and he could plan on sleeping in the next day.

They usually had a couple of days between cases and they both liked it that way. They would both deny it, but each case took its toll. They needed some time to relieve the pressure that built when they heard each victim's story. Bones would call it compartmentalizing. Booth would call it clearing his head. Whatever you called it, they both needed it.

He looked down at his partner again. She really didn't look too hot and had just taken up rubbing her temples slightly. "Aww--Bones, come on. Let's get you home. I told you that you should have taken some Excedrin or something like the medics said after Pond Scum Scottie tried to turn our brains into Jell-O Pudding by beaming us up."

She moved her hands from her head, seemingly embarrassed that she had been caught rubbing her temples. "Booth, it's only a slight headache, it will pass with time. Besides, I still need to go back to the lab to finish up the paperwork on the case and prepare the remains for release to the family. I can't go home yet." She said it in a manner she hoped would be convincing, but honestly, she just wanted to curl into a ball and go to sleep.

Her head was throbbing, there was a constant roaring in her ears, and her right ear had recently started pounding. It was hard to hear, painful to swallow, and she could barely hear herself speak. She supposed that her copious amount of adrenaline from the days' earlier events had been depleted and the effects were beginning to catch up with her. She might be miserable, but she would never admit that.

It most likely didn't help that it was early April and the pollen in DC was exacerbating her allergies. It was beautiful with all the cherry blossoms blooming, but her allergies didn't appreciate that. She'd been battling sinus drainage and pressure for about 2 weeks and had only stopped taking medication 3 days earlier. The time in the resonance chamber seemed to have aggravated the pressure behind her right tympanic membrane. Hopefully some hot tea and a good night of sleep would do the trick.

Cam saw Booth's concern and the anthropologist's obvious discomfort, so she spoke up. "Dr. Brennan, I really feel that it would be best if you went home and rested. I'll have Mr. Nigel-Murray prepare the remains and all of the paperwork is not due until 5 business days from the time of arrest. You have plenty of time." Cam hoped that would give her enough reason to let Booth take her home. "Besides, I'm heading home myself. Michelle wants to have a movie night. Can you believe she's never seen The Breakfast Club?" She explained and raised her hand to a waiter indicating that she wanted her check. Cam looked at Brennan's puzzled face and said, "Let me guess, you don't know what that is."

Brennan shook her head and then bit back a hiss as someone from the other side of the bar squealed as they saw an old friend.

At that moment Cam realized a lot about her formal rival and new friend. She was abandoned at almost the exact age that Michelle was now. Right now, Michelle was so vibrant, so inquisitive, and so full of life. How awful it must have been to have all of those things stripped from you at such an amazing time. '_Instead of worrying about seeing movies, Brennan had to worry about surviving. That's something no child should have to worry about.' _Cam now understood why Brennan encouraged her to take Michelle. She couldn't stand to see a child go through what she went through. Cam would always be thankful to Brennan for showing that to her. Cam made an internal commitment to incorporate Brennan into Michelle's life; hopefully she could learn a few things she missed as a teenager from Michelle. "I'll tell you what, Dr. Brennan, you go home and get some rest tonight. Soon, we'll all have a girl's night and we'll watch tons of 80s movies. Maybe I can even find one with lots of Cyndi Lauper songs," Cam said compassionately as she placed a reassuring hand on Brennan's forearm.

"Fine," she said, trying to keep her tone sharp but failing miserably. "I'll just get to the lab early in the morning and finish up. She moved to Angela, who was still on the telephone, and gave her a hug. Angela mouthed good night. "I'll see you in the morning Cam," she finished.

She collected her coat and purse and allowed Booth to place his hand at the small of her back as they walked out. "Is your car still at the lab?" He asked as he held the door open for her to pass him.

"Yes," was the only answer she supplied as she felt the wind and tightened her long coat a little.

Booth nodded, worried. He hated when she gave him one word answers. It usually meant she was in some kind of pain – emotional or physical. Right now he couldn't get a good read on which one it was that was truly bothering her more.

He got a partial answer, however, when they had to step down a slight curb to cross the street. The normally confident and sure footed Temperance Brennan stumbled a little as she stepped down onto the road. Booth's strong hands grabbed her under her arms and steadied her. He let out a small sigh, thankful that he had been there. He couldn't stand the thought of her falling to the ground and injuring herself.

Once he was sure she was steady, he pulled her into one of his comforting hugs. She let out a slight moan which disturbed Booth. Something was hurting her and he didn't like it in the least. "Hey, Bones, what's the matter?" he asked as he rubbed a few soothing circles in between her shoulder blades.

She took a deep breath, disappointed in herself for allowing the moan to escape and tipping him off to her discomfort. "I'm fine Booth. My head just still hurts a little from the time in the chamber and my ear is ringing a little."

That may have been the understatement of the year. The pain from her headache wasn't getting any better, but the pounding in her ear was mounting and would soon be more painful that the headache. Obviously, the pressure from her inner ear was disturbing her equilibrium as well. She just hoped she'd be able to collapse onto her bed or couch soon instead of collapsing in the middle of the street.

He nodded at her response and released her from the hug. He didn't want to let her go, but he needed to get her home, to get her comfortable if she would let him. He inwardly cursed himself for the thoughts that crossed his mind. '_Great, Seel, just great. She's hurting and you are thinking about helping her relax on the couch while she's wearing some skimpy pajama top.'_

"Alright, Bones. Let's just get you home. Do you have some medicine there? I could stop and. . . ." He was going to offer to run into a pharmacy and pick up some things for her when she cut him off.

"Booth, I'm fine. I don't need to put any chemicals in my body. I just need to get some rest just like Collar recommended in the first place," she explained very logically.

The rest of the trip to the car was silent. Brennan focused on keeping her discomfort at bay and Booth focused on her. He noticed she was still walking a little crooked and she even seem to stumble a little a couple of more times. "Still okay?" he questioned.

She half nodded and he took that as an opportunity to slip his hand around her waist from the small of her back to support her a little more. Soon they were at the SUV and he opened the door for her and she allowed it. '_Not a good sign,' _he thought.

He helped her in, closed the door, and jumped into the driver's side to take her home.

****

Forty five minutes later, Booth was situated on Brennan's couch while she showered. She had instructed him to find something on her television for them to watch while she showered and changed. He flipped around the channels and found _Men in Black_ playing on TBS. '_I'll bet this will drive Bones crazy with all the aliens and stuff.' _

He looked up from where he was sitting when he heard her emerge from her bedroom. He patted the couch beside him and she silently complied coming to sit beside him. He was truly thankful for the closeness of their bodies at that current moment. She smelled wonderful and looked hot despite the evident marks of pain on her face. He looked her over more closely. She was wearing a simple pair of plaid, flannel pajama bottoms and a very revealing tank top. "You okay?" He asked as he gave her a slight squeeze.

She gave him a slight nod and then went to lean her head on his shoulder as she had so many times in the past. '_Just partners,'_ he thought and bit back a laugh. _'If any of my other partners tried anything like this, they'd NEVER walk again.' _ His thoughts were interrupted by a slight wince from her as she pulled her head back. He gave her a concerned glance and just received an "I'm okay" nod from her. He opted not to push her at the moment. He'd just keep an eye on her and if he noticed it getting worse, he'd take some action.

Just as Booth expected, less than 5 minutes later, she was fidgeting, rubbing her temples, and finally let out a big sigh. Booth instinctively pulled her back into him, rubbing her upper arm as he squeezed her securely. "Is your head still hurting?" He asked.

She let out a breath and looked at him. "A little, but my ear feels like it's going to explode. I know it's irrational, but it feels like a train is rolling through my semi-circular canals."

Booth laughed silently at the mix of science and layman's terms she used to describe her pain. "Bones, let me help you. Parker's had so many ear infections. I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve in that department." He hoped she'd take him up on his offer. He took in her appearance and expressions. Her forehead was completely scrunched, she was pale, and it looked as if there were a few tears trying to form in her eyes.

"Booth thanks, but we've got to work tomorrow and it's almost 9:30 now. You need to get. . ." She stopped mid sentence, let out a loud wince, and pressed her hand against her ear in attempt to equalize the still mounting pressure inside her head.

Booth shifted into completely protective mode when he heard the painful wince. "Alright that's it; I'm taking you to a doctor." He inwardly cursed for not cuffing her to a gurney and making the paramedics look at her when they were still at the institute.

"No, Booth," she winced mid sentence again. "I'll be fine. I just need to get to sleep to see if the ringing will stop. Besides, you went through the same thing I did. You're head must be . . . owww. . . hurting too." She was struggling to speak. Every word sent another jolt of pain through her ear.

Her words tugged at his heart. She was trying to be strong, trying to keep her walls up but he could tell that she was in a lot of pain. "Bones, please, let me just try to make you feel better."

At his final plea, she nodded and a single tear slid down her cheek. She wasn't sure if it was from the pain, the embarrassment, or a combination of both. Her brain was too foggy to think clearly at that moment, since it felt like she could hear every wave on the Pacific Ocean roaring in her ear.

Booth pulled her into another hug. He spoke softly as he released her, "Bones, do you have some Advil or Tylenol and a heating pad?" He hoped she did so he wouldn't have to leave her to get those things. It would be a very long night without them. He'd spent many a night trying to comfort Parker through ear infections. He didn't know if that's what was wrong with her, but it sure seemed like it.

She had her eyes closed, gritting her teeth against the still increasing waves of pain. She cracked her eyes and focused on his face before shaking her head. She didn't get sick and didn't take any medicine other than her prescribed allergy medication when she couldn't get by on herbal teas and vitamins during the fall and spring. She had no need to keep medicine or a heating pad around. She did keep a bottle of ibuprofen in her laptop bag, but a lot of good that would do her with it at the Jeffersonian.

"That's alright, I'll take care of it," he said as he released her from his warm embrace and stood up. "Which ear is the worst?" He asked.

She simply pointed to her right one as she leaned her head back on to the couch. He was working to grab a couple of pillows and place them on the end of the couch so that she could lie down on her right ear. "Lie down," he said and she complied immediately. He covered her with a blanket and sprang into action.

"Bones, I'm going to run out to the truck for just a second. I'll be right back." He said and looked at her with compassion as she didn't move, just popped her eyes open and gave him a blink of approval.

Brennan lay completely still as she heard her apartment door shut. She wasn't sure what he was doing, but she hated the idea that he, of all people, the man she probably loved—if it existed—was seeing her like this. It was painful, yes, and she wasn't sure that her head wouldn't explode in the next few minutes, but she should be strong enough to push through it. She shouldn't be acting like a 7 year old.

Brennan could pretty much mark time by the pulses against her ear drum and an excruciating 105 pulses later, she heard her front door open and close again. She wasn't sure if she heard his footsteps over the roaring in her head, but somehow she knew he came back in. She heard muffled beeping and didn't even bother to open her eyes to see the source. She worked on her breathing and tried her best not to break her teeth gritting them against the pain.

42 throbs later, she sensed (and smelled) Booth kneeling beside her on the couch. She popped her eyes open slightly and found a very worried looking Booth staring at her. "Here," he said as he wiped the hair hanging in her eyes off her face. He slid something wrapped in a washcloth under her ear. She exhaled slightly at the small amount of relief it brought. Booth must have gone out to the car and gotten some warming packs from his survival kit in his truck. "Better?" he asked.

She gave him a simple nod. She didn't dare move too much or the motion might make the pain worse.

He smiled. "There's a cup of that herbal tea stuff you like on the coffee table if you need it," he explained. "Careful, I put it in the microwave for a long time so it would stay warm. I'm going to run to the pharmacy and get you some Advil and a heating pad. I won't be long, but if need anything, just call my cell." She nodded again and he rubbed her arm. "Just be really still and try to rest some." She closed her eyes again he pulled the blanket onto her shoulders as he stood to leave. "Oh yeah, I wrapped another warming pack in a washcloth in case you need it. It's on the table. Just pop the little bubble in the middle if that one gets too cold."

Normally, he would worry that she would get up and start working, but he didn't really think she would try to do anything right now. It worried him that she was in so much obvious pain. The warming packs seemed to offer her a little relief though. Hopefully the heating pad and a good dose of Advil would help them both get a good night of rest. It was still relatively early.

Brennan still didn't move as she sensed Booth leaving, but she did utter a simple thanks to him as she tried to focus a few thoughts through the pressure in her head. '_I can't believe I even said the word stupid when talking about him. He's obviously highly intelligent, who else would think to use warming packs from an FBI survival kit to soothe throbbing ears. He's a genius in his own way,' _she thought as she began to drift into a light sleep.

Booth quietly exited her apartment and ran to his SUV. He didn't want to leave his Bones alone for too long. As he ran, he laughed to himself. _'I wish I could remember when she wrapped me around her finger. I like it though, no matter when it happened.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N --- Let me just say that I was really flattered by all the reviews for the last chapter. I don't think I have ever received that many for a single chapter before. You guys are really great. I'm trying to answer them all personally, but I'm not quite there yet. Hopefully that won't stop you from reading further.  
**

**Thanks again to blc for her help with all the ideas for this story and her help making the words sound better. Also, thanks to mickeyboggs for proof reading it for me. You two are the best.  
**

**Please continue to let me know what you think and what ideas you have on how I should continue. I really hope I have stayed true to the characters. I'm a stickler for that. Thanks for reading.**

Disclaimer - Bones belongs to Fox.

**Chapter 2  
**

Booth hurried through the store grabbing the few things he needed to help make his Bones feel better. He couldn't stand to see her hurt. He grabbed a heating pad, a bottle of Advil, and some ginger ale. She hadn't said that she was nauseous, but Parker almost always threw up when his ear hurt so badly. Booth was no doctor, but he knew that she was getting dizzy on the way back to the car. Dizziness and nausea usually went hand in hand.

He paid and ran back out to the car. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he had been gone for 41 minutes – entirely too long in his opinion. He put his car in drive, grabbed his phone, and speed dialed Cam. He needed to touch base with her to know what to do to help Brennan during the night. He knew what to do for Parker, but she was a grown woman and this was the result of trauma, not an infection.

Bones would probably kill him if she knew he called Cam, but he'd let her beat him up when she felt better. '_Actually, that would be kind of hot. Who doesn't want to watch a beautiful woman fight,' _he thought and then gave another audible expletive as he chastised himself for his insensitivity. '_Seeley, take care of her, quit fantasizing about her. Get a hold of yourself man.'_

He pushed send and Cam answered quickly. "Hey Cam," he barely gave her time to answer before he started talking.

Cam was a little snippy, partially kidding with her long time friend. "Seeley, we better not have another case already. Can't you FBI Agents prevent a murder so you don't have to solve them," she asked.

He ignored her statement and started talking. "I don't know Cam. We don't have a case, but I'm worried about Bones."

Cam's tone immediately shifted. "Why, what's the matter? She told me at the bar that she just had a slight headache," she sounded concerned. She'd asked her coworker several times about her experience and any lingering effects, but she had denied that it had bothered her.

"Yeah, well she tried to tell me that too, but that's not all that's wrong." He explained all of her symptoms to her and hoped she would be able to tell him what to do to fix it. Booth was a man of action and he wanted to fix the problem. He was so frustrated that he sounded angry when he said, "You know how she is Cam, she was minimizing everything she felt from the moment we got out of that chamber," he sighed. "It finally all caught up to her."

He listened as she gave him a list of things to do and then responded. "Yeah, I got her a heating pad and some Advil." He listened a little further. "Maybe that won't happen," he said when Cam mentioned the possibility that her ear drum might rupture. "If it does, I'll give you a call." He smiled as Cam made the offer to come by and check on her if she were to get worse. "Thanks Cam," he finished.

"Not a problem, Seeley. If she gets worse, just call me. I can swing by the hospital, pick up some stronger medicines for her, and bring them over so you both can sleep," she offered compassionately.

Booth was a little shocked at the offer. "Cam, I thought you didn't practice anymore?"

Cam laughed a little at the always questioning Booth. Most people forgot that medical examiners where still licensed physicians. Some states didn't require that they stay current but for Cam, losing her license was never an option. "Oh-I've always kept my license current so I could do volunteer or disaster work from time to time. Brennan's not the only one who volunteers from time to time, you know," she laughed before going on. "Georgetown keeps all my records on file. I still guest lecture for them sometimes anyway," Cam explained further. "That's your hospital of choice right?"

Booth half- laughed at the way Cam said it. It was true that the pair ended up in emergency rooms fairly often. He didn't like to think about it. Every trip meant that he had failed to protect his Bones and he hated failing. "Yeah, Cam, it is," he said with a gulp.

"Tell her to feel better and just call me if she can't make it in tomorrow or if you need me," she smiled at the concern Booth showed. The pair had it bad for each other and everyone knew it. Everyone that is, except for the 2 people that it really mattered to.

Booth huffed out as simple, "Thanks Cam," and flipped his phone shut. He was worried. He hoped that he would walk back into her apartment and find her sleeping peacefully, wearing that innocent smile on her face that she often wore when she fell asleep on the couch in her office.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't watch her sleep from time to time. She was beautiful in every way but her beauty didn't just lie in her silky hair, smooth skin, and great figure. Her eyes were equally beautiful and told so much about who she was as a person. Her eyes offered compassion and knowledge to everyone she met. Booth had never seen that in another woman. If he had to admit it, he would say he was in love with Temperance Brennan.

It wasn't the love that was the problem, it was the admitting it. Frankly, he was scared to admit it. He was scared of what it meant and how she might react. She might run, taking one of the 20 job offers she received every week. She might sever their partnership and never speak to him again. He craned his neck at all of the possibilities. Hopefully, she would do what he wanted and love him back. The least she could do was let him teach her to love by loving her. He wanted that more than anything.

Booth made his way back into her apartment. He quietly let himself in the front door and deposited the bags on the counter. As he walked through the door and living room on his way to the kitchen, he completely expected her to be lying on the couch. Of course, Bones never made things simple. She wasn't on the couch.

His heart sank when he didn't see her there. '_Infuriating woman_,' he thought. '_She could have at least taken the heating packs with her to help her ear_,' he shook his head at how Bones always needed to be so independent. He maintained composure, assuming that she had just gone to her bed to get more comfortable. He'd seen her bed before and it did look really comfortable. Her couch, on the other hand—not so much. He figured Angela had helped her pick it out; it was certainly more appealing to the eyes than the rear end.

He quietly walked down the hall to find her and became even more worried when he found her bed empty - still made and the light still off in the room. He did, however, notice light seeping out from under the bathroom door. _'She already showered,' _he thought and rapped slightly on the bathroom door. "Bones?" he paused momentarily hoping to get a snippy remark back but came up empty.

"Bones?" he asked, taking a deep breath as he opened the door. He figured if she didn't want him to come in, she'd yell in plenty of time for him to retreat before being hit by a flying shampoo bottle or something.

What saw when he opened the door worried him even more. She'd obviously been throwing up and was now slumped in front of the toilet, her head staring directly at the floor as her arms supported her forehead.

He knelt quickly beside her and rubbed a few small circles on her back. "I'm fine," she uttered so weakly that he was sure a toddler would pick up on the lie.

"Yeah, um, I can see that," he said sarcastically as he stood and grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet above the toilet. He ran some cool water over it and squeezed the excess out before placing it on the back of her neck.

Almost instinctively, she began to retch again. Holding her hair back, Booth whispered soothing words until she stopped heaving and seemed to calm slightly. She groaned audibly and placed her head back onto her arms. "Better?" he asked.

She let out a clearing breath and spoke, keeping her eyes closed the entire time. "Ugh . . . I don't know," she was honest with him. Her head was still throbbing and her ears were still getting worse. She assumed that the pressure in her ears coupled with the intense headache made her nauseous. The fact that the room was spinning non-stop didn't help either.

She'd tried to be really still while lying on the couch and control her breathing, but had lost her battle about 20 minutes after Booth left. She was just thankful that she'd managed to make it to her bathroom without incident. She wouldn't have been able to handle cleaning her floors tonight.

As she focused on not giving in to the pain, she could hear Booth shuffling around in her cabinets. Cracking one eye open, she found the light too bright and quickly gave up trying to see what he was doing. Just a few seconds later, he spoke. "Here, Bones, rinse and spit it back in the cup," he said as he handed her a small cup of mouthwash.

She did as commanded without opening her eyes and then placed her head back on her arms. She was tempted to simply curl into a ball on the bathroom floor and dwell in her misery. If nothing else, at least that wouldn't require her walking anywhere. The way she felt - walking wouldn't be on her to do list anytime soon anyway.

Booth ran some water and then stepped out for just a second. She was exhausted and couldn't even focus well enough to count the throbs in her head any more.

Next thing she knew, she felt two very strong arms slide underneath her and she was lifted from the floor. "Come on, Bones. Let's get you in the bed."

Brennan didn't protest, just allowed him to place her on the right side of her bed. "Here, sit up for just a second," he asked.

She did as requested, despite the overwhelming dizziness, and found that he had turned all of the lights off in her bedroom. He must have picked up on her light sensitivity. He was also speaking very softly; at least she thought he was. If she had to guess, she'd say she could only hear about 30 percent out of her right ear. '_Not a good sign, Temperance. You can't hear and you are just guessing about things now,' _she thought to herself as she unsuccessfully tried to take a physical inventory of her symptoms. She quickly realized even that required too much effort.

He handed her a few green gel tabs and a glass of water. "Take these, hopefully it'll take the edge off," he said compassionately.

She gave him a slight nod before swallowing the pills tentatively, praying to whatever existed in the world that they would stay down. She handed him back the glass and collapsed back into the pile of pillows he'd fluffed for her.

Booth reached down and pulled the covers over her before asking, "Which is worse, your ears or your head?" He needed to know and hoped she would give him enough honest information to be able to determine the best course of action.

"Ears," she said simply, weakly.

He rubbed a few small strands of hair out of her face and put a washcloth back on her forehead. He could see some remaining beads of sweat from the forceful vomiting she had done. "I'll be right back."

Booth practically ran back into the kitchen and grabbed the recently purchased heating pad and a few hand towels before turning off the remaining lights and grabbing his bag from beside the door. He was thankful he always kept a spare suit, gym clothes, and casual clothes in the SUV. There was no way in hell he was going home tonight. He could sleep in the gym clothes and then, depending on what his stubborn partner insisted, he'd either have a suit for work or casual clothes to wear tomorrow.

He cautiously reentered Brennan's bedroom and the plugged in the heating pad. "Here Bones, let's try this." He slipped his hand gently under her head to lift it slightly before putting the heating pad wrapped in a towel down. She barely moved or made a sound as he did this, and that worried him.

Booth gave his partner a few minutes and a few lines from her forehead seemed to smooth ever so slightly. He was kneeling in front of her instinctively rubbing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Is your left ear okay? You want something on it?" he asked.

Brennan just shrugged which he took that as a yes, she wanted something. Her left ear did feel much better than her right one, but it still throbbed from the pressure and headache. He grabbed the left over warming pack from earlier and popped the bubble, placing it over her ear. "Better?" he said gently.

She gave him a slight nod. The warmth was soothing even if it didn't really decrease the pain. She could still hear her ears throbbing from what seemed like her toes to the tips of her hair. They were also ringing very loudly and she just wished she would pass out from the intense pain. At least that way, she wouldn't notice it when her head exploded.

Booth checked his watch, it was now almost midnight and he was tired. He didn't think he would be able to sleep, but hopefully she could drift off if he left her alone. He wanted to hold her securely, to let her know that she wasn't alone, but she needed to rest.

"Bones," he said gently. "I'm going to go in the living room. If you need me, just yell." Honestly, he didn't think she would need to yell. The slightest peep out of her would make him run to her side.

He didn't expect what came next. Her speech was almost inaudible, but it was there. "Booth?" she managed, "Stay . . . Please." She cracked open her eyes and looked at him even though it was painful to do so.

That was all it took, Booth had to fight to hold back a few tears – tears of pride that she had asked him and sadness because of the pain causing havoc in his partner's body. "Sure Bones," he said very sheepishly, almost embarrassed at the invitation. He wanted, more than anything to hold her and make her feel better, but hated that she felt vulnerable and weak enough to offer. "Just let me change clothes." He couldn't contain himself and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he walked briskly back into the other room to change so he could get back to her.

Walking out of her room, he reflected on his recent action. He wouldn't have dared trying if she hadn't been so sick. He couldn't put his finger on why he even did it. Maybe it was because he always did it for Parker when he was sick. Maybe it was because he thought she needed it. Whatever the reason, it felt right and he wanted to do it again.

Even in her confused state, Brennan felt her heart flutter slightly as Booth placed the kiss on her forehead. She couldn't be 100 percent positive that it actually occurred. Her mind couldn't exactly be trusted at the moment. It didn't matter if it was real or not, for a split second, all of the pain dissipated and she felt relief. She was slightly embarrassed that she had asked him to stay. Honestly, though, she didn't want to be alone.

She hated being alone at night when she felt well, but now she could barely hear and that made the sense of loneliness much worse. She just wanted to feel secure like someone was watching out for her. The last time she remembered feeling this vulnerable was when she was in El Salvador wondering whether or not she would make it home alive or in one of the mahogany boxes she used to package remains. It was illogical to equate the two events and she knew it, but they were similar in some ways – dark, painful, and scary. She knew Booth could help with the scary part, over the course of their partnership he had become her security, her rock. For that, she was thankful. Sometimes, late at night, she longed for the day that she could admit it out loud. Maybe she'd even do it loud enough for someone to hear.

Booth rushed through his nighttime routine. He bypassed a shower since he wasn't sure he would be able to hear Brennan if she needed him. He did manage to brush his teeth and change clothes only checking in on her 3 times.

He didn't know where she wanted him to sleep. She'd asked him to stay, but hadn't invited him into her bed. To be safe, he grabbed a blanket and a pillow out of the linen closet. He reentered her bedroom and walked over to her side of the bed and pulled the chaise-like reading chair up next to her. He was careful not to let the chair legs squeak on her hard woods. He didn't really want to move it, but it was too far away from her and it seemed more comfortable than the floor. It would still afford her some space as she rested.

As best he could tell, she was sleeping. He climbed onto the chaise and leaned his head back. One good thing about being sniper trained was that he could rest in almost any position or any environment. His comfort wasn't his concern at that point. No matter how uncomfortable he was, he was sure his Bones was miserable.

He rested his eyes for a few seconds before he heard her let out a slight moan. He opened his eyes and checked on her. She hadn't shifted, so he left her alone, assuming she was just sleeping uncomfortably. Sleep was a good thing even if it was fitful.

Fifteen or so minutes later, she gave a more substantial moan followed by an attempt to shift into a comfortable position without rolling off her side. Booth couldn't let this one slide. "Bones, you need anything?" he asked as he again wiped a few stray hairs off of her porcelain cheek.

"Just hurts," was all she said.

"I know Bones, I know." He absolutely hated this. If he was ever in the same room as Pond Scum Scottie again, he'd punch him right in the ear. He deserved to go through exactly what Bones was going through right now.

Booth worked to contain his rage; it wouldn't help Bones right now. "Here," he said as he walked around the bed and crawled in behind her. He slid close to her body, probably closer than he had ever been before including the time he jumped on top of her in the bank vault. He began rubbing smooth, consistent circles on her back and she seemed to relax some of the muscles she had tensed against the intense pain.

After a few minutes, he felt her move slightly. She reached up to her left ear and removed the now room temperature warming pack, replacing it with her own left hand.

Booth knew she was trying to equalize some of the pressure in her ears. He simply and sweetly placed his own hand on top of hers, applying gentle pressure. After a few seconds, she let out a small sigh and removed her own hand, leaving Booth's strong, warm palm to the work.

It was in that position that the pair managed to fall into a restful state. Brennan's pain was no better, maybe it was even getting worse. It was still coursing through her body like a freight train, but she was secure with Booth beside her. That security allowed her to rest, even if it would only be for a short while.

Booth, on the other hand, was too nervous to sleep. Bones was his watch, his responsibility. He'd sleep after he knew she would be fine and felt no pain. Until then, he was content with watching her-counting her breaths and trying to sense her every need. He kept his hand over her less sensitive ear, hoping it provided some form of relief to her. In just a little while, he heard her breathing relax. It was still slightly labored and occasionally ragged from pain, but she was asleep. He gave her one final kiss, placing his lips in her silky hair, before he closed his eyes to allow himself to rest. He wasn't quite asleep, but he was resting, waiting for her to need him again. Hopefully, she would manage to sleep through the night, but his gut instinct told him otherwise. His gut was rarely wrong, but in this instance, he hoped and prayed it was.

To be continued . . .


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N -- Thanks so much to MickeyBoggs for her mad proof reading skills on this one as usual. Also, thanks to BLC for helping with the overall story line and especially the ending of the chapter. You two are great and I really appreciate the help.**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews on this chapter. It's great to read that you are enjoying the story. I hope you are getting what you want and that the characters, imagery, and story line are on point. **

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Disclaimer - Bones belongs to Fox Broadcasting.

Chapter 3

Booth never liked watching anyone that he loved hurt. It nearly killed him whenever Parker was hurt or sick. If he ever said anything about it to Sweets, he'd probably say it stemmed from watching his mother and brother fall victim to his father's drunken rages as a teenager. Whatever the reason, Booth didn't care. He just wanted to provide comfort and protection for those he loved and that included one brilliant forensic anthropologist.

Brennan managed to rest for a few hours. The ever-watchful FBI Agent, however, never drifted into a complete sleep. He stroked her hair, rubbed her back, and placed his hand over her ear anytime he heard her wince or moan in her sleep. He had seen her sleep enough that he knew she wasn't comfortable.

He quickly snapped out of his stupor when Brennan sat bolt upright in the bed around 2:00 in the morning. He was out from under the covers and kneeling at her side before he was even fully aware of his surroundings. "Bones, what's wrong? What do you need?" he asked, his heart going out to his partner. The lights were off, but he could tell she was pale and sweating.

Brennan didn't speak, just allowed a pitiful groan to escape her lips as she raised her hand to her head in effort to stop the spinning. She had never felt this horrible before. She managed to form only one coherent thought, '_What the hell is wrong with me?'_

The normally composed and calm anthropologist could tell that Booth was rattling off questions, but she couldn't answer. She had to focus on breathing and not throwing up. The room was spinning, and honestly she couldn't even tell you which side of her bed she was seated on. She attempted to breathe very slowly. '_Cleansing breaths, Temperance_,' she told herself but knew soon she would lose it. She felt him climb off of the bed and walk somewhere. She wasn't really that concerned with why he was getting off the bed, she just hoped he didn't do it again.

Watching her struggle was painful for Booth. He didn't know exactly what to do, so he did what he would do if Parker woke up in the middle of the night when he was sick. He hopped up and sprinted into the kitchen. He grabbed a large plastic bowl then ran back through her room and into her bathroom. He wet a few washcloths and was quickly at her side. "Bones, it's okay," he spoke softly, pulled her close to his chest, placed a washcloth on her head, and rubbed her back. She opened her eyes a few times. Her expression was empty – unlike anything Booth had ever seen from her before.

Brennan felt comforted with his arms around her, but she still felt as if her head would explode. She couldn't stop the room from spinning no matter how she held her head. The dizziness and urge to vomit were bad enough, but her damned ear bothered her the most. It was throbbing, burning, and she couldn't get any relief. Out of desperation, she turned her head against a wave of dizziness and buried her right ear into Booth's t-shirt clad chest.

The pair remained like that for a few minutes until Booth felt his partner's body clench. He wasn't sure how he felt it but was thankful that he did. Just as he had earlier in the evening, he scooped her up into his muscular arms and securely carried her into her bathroom. If it had been Parker, the father in Booth would have just placed a bowl or a bucket in front of him. With Bones, however, he knew she needed to maintain a certain amount of dignity. As a partner, he wanted to give her that.

Despite the misery that changing positions brought, the strong, determined anthropologist managed to hold it together until she felt Booth stand her up on the floor in her bathroom. Within seconds, she practically collapsed to the floor and managed to position herself in front of the toilet before beginning to heave violently. Every strained heave caused a pain to shoot though her ear. She was oblivious to what was going on around her. All she knew was pain and nause.

Finally, 30 long minutes later, Brennan was finally able to stop heaving long enough to think, to realize what she was doing. When she did, she felt the most intense pain she'd ever felt in her life—including when she was shot. She wanted to scream, but wasn't capable of formulating a sound. She let out a pitiful whimper and felt her rock wrap her back in a hug. When he did, she grabbed on to him for dear life.

Booth was shocked at the motions she carried out. Her right ear was pressed firmly against his chest, her right hand held on to his left upper arm and her left hand gripped his t-shirt just below his collar bone. He felt useless, helpless, and incapable. He did the only thing he could think of at the time-took his strong hands and held her head pressing her more firmly against his chest. He started to rock her, hoping the motion would be soothing. He quickly realized it was a mistake when she whimpered as he caused her to move.

Neither partner knew how long they stayed like that, but at some point, the noise inside Brennan's head became so loud that she couldn't hear her own thoughts. The throbbing and noise amplified for several minutes. Finally, her body gave up its fight and allowed the pressure to prevail. At that moment, the pain and noise were horrifying. She was sure someone aimed a .50 caliber gun from inside her head and pulled the trigger. There was a loud blast followed by the sensation of a hot surgical instrument being pulled through her ear.

Just a few seconds later, a small amount of relief from the pressure came as she felt a hot trickle of fluid exiting her ear. The fluid flowing from her ear didn't alarm her; she probably didn't even notice it through all the pain. If she had been more coherent, she would have noticed that after the release of the pressure, she could no longer hear anything out of her right ear.

Of course, Booth couldn't feel the release of the pressure or feel the pain of the 'explosion,' but he did hear her whimpers and feel her body tense as pain seemed to boil through her veins. He simply held on to her tightly, hoping that his presence was somehow comforting.

As the pressure subsided, she was able to process the first complete thought in what seemed like hours. '_Is Booth holding me?' _she asked herself. Obviously she was oblivious to the events of the past hour. She didn't even remember getting out of the bed.

Exhaling deeply, she did a mental catalog of her condition and found that while the pressure had abated slightly, intense pain, nausea, and the spinning sensation were still present. She was nervous, but decided to risk it - she opened her eyes and found that she could at least tolerate the light in bathroom. '_Alright, Temperance, you can do this, it's just lifting your head, not excavating a body.'_ She found it slightly disturbing that she had to encourage herself to make a minimal movement, but that's how she was able to get through foster care. She made herself do things she didn't have the energy to do no matter the risk or penalty.

She lifted her head slightly feeling another wave of nausea but biting it back. She met a pair of worried brown eyes. "Hey Bones," he didn't know what to say. He figured 'how do you feel' would be a stupid question.

He managed to stay cool when she shifted her head slightly and allowed him to notice a faint red stain on his grey t-shirt. '_Oh, my god, that's blood-her blood,' _he inwardly screamed at the thought. Her blood. . . blood from his Bones. '_Calm down, man, Cam said this might happen. Her eardrum just burst. That's all this is,'_ telling himself that helped him avoid complete meltdown at the sight. In truth, it wasn't all blood but a mixture of fluids. That didn't matter to him-it was her blood.

She didn't speak, just made another indistinguishable whimper. Booth looked her in the eyes and saw her pain and vulnerability. He decided to speak softly, but his tone was serious. "Temperance, do you want me to take you to the emergency room?" he asked. He wanted to let her have some slight control over the situation.

"What," her head was so garbled that she couldn't hear what he said.

'_Damn,' _he inwardly cursed. _'Her hearing is all screwed up.'_ This scared him more than anything. Just like always, his partner had explained all the potential side effects of exposure to sounds exceeding 140 decibels. He couldn't bear to think her hearing would be permanently damaged because he allowed them to get stuck in that stupid chamber. He took a deep breath and asked the simple question again-more loudly this time.

He was surprised at her response; it was inaudible, almost child-like but still slightly snippy in typical Bones fashion. "Ugh--Don't talk so loud, it makes my head throb," she almost pleaded before answering his original question, "No I don't want to move."

He spoke in a whisper from that point, "Sorry Bones," he wasn't sure if she could even hear the quiet words.

She let out another wince as her head began to throb again. She pressed her ear back into his chest and battled yet another wave of nausea. "Do you want me to get you back in bed?" he whispered.

She wanted to curl back up, but any movement aggravated her symptoms and she was afraid she'd begin to throw up again. She mustered the strength to answer him, "I think I need to stay right here—still don't feel well." She'd already let him see her throw up for god only knows how long– that was far enough for her.

He understood how weak she must feel emotionally right now. "Bones, it's okay. I put something by the bed for you. It's not your fault. You're hurt, it just happens," he said as he stroked her hair.

At that prompting, she pulled her head up and gave him a nod, "Just give me a second."

At her approval, he gave her a slight squeeze, "Just let me know when you're ready." He knew that she wanted to try and move on her own. He wouldn't let her fall. He recounted the moment on the ice rink just a couple of months before, _'I'll never let you fall Bones, I promise.'_

Brennan sighed loudly and then gave a simple "Okay," to let Booth know she was ready to try and get back in bed. The nausea and spinning hadn't subsided and her ear ached, but she knew she'd be more comfortable in her bed than on the cold tile of the bathroom.

Booth stood first and figured it would be best to stand behind her slightly in case she wobbled. It would afford her the most support and the least intrusion in case she stumbled. Just a few seconds later, she was able to make it to a standing position but instantly, the room began to spin violently and she reached out for the counter.

Her partner immediately noticed and supported her from behind and helped her remain steady as she brushed her teeth. He didn't speak, he didn't need to. She knew he was there. He had her back.

Her energy supply was completely gone by the time she finished brushing her teeth. "I need to lie down," was all she managed to say before she leaned forward and let her head rest on the mirror. She hated it, but she knew there was no way she could manage walking the 20 feet to her bed. If he didn't have her back, she'd simply crumple to the floor.

The alpha male tendencies inside Booth didn't need any more prompting. "Here, put this over your ear and hold it," he instructed as he handed her a clean washcloth. When he saw that she had complied, he slowly and gently picked her up and carried her back to bed.

He pulled the covers back onto her and looked at the clock. It was now after 3:00 in the morning. '_What an awful night,'_ he said to himself before letting out a small sigh knowing it wasn't over yet. She needed to see a doctor, but at that point, he didn't think she could manage the trip to the hospital.

Booth remembered Cam's words from earlier in the evening. At that realization, the always plotting FBI Agent decided on his plan of action. "Hey Bones," he stroked her face slightly to get her attention without speaking more loudly.

She heard him, and wished he would stay quiet, but decided she needed to respond. "Hmm?" was all she gave him. She didn't even bother opening her eyes.

He didn't like her response – or lack of a response, but he decided to fill her in on his plan anyway. "I'm going to call Cam and have her come over and check you out." He stroked her hair a little as he sat on the chaise lounge by her bed.

"Whatever – as long as I don't have to move, I don't care." Her voice was weak and not full of confidence like it usually was.

Remembering her earlier complaint about his talking too loudly, he stepped out of the room, speed dialed Cam, and waited. He was surprised when her phone only rang two times.

A very groggy Cam answered the phone. "You need me to come over?" she asked before even saying hello.

"I think so," he said in a very worried tone. "I really think she needs to go to the hospital though. She's been throwing up – hard. Anytime she tries to stand up she has to grab on to something. She said the room was spinning," he explained the rest of their experience.

Cam's voice was a little muffled. She'd obviously climbed out of the bed and was getting dressed. "Alright, I'll be there in a little while. I'll skip running by the hospital. If she's that bad, I'll call them and have them get a bed in the ER ready for her."

"Thanks Cam," he said. "I'm going to stay with her in her room in case she needs something. I'll leave a key under the rug at the front door for you. "

Once he had flipped his cell phone shut, he placed the key under the rug and walked back into her bedroom. He was taken aback when he saw that she was sitting up-knees drawn to her chest and head buried in the pillow.

The sight before Booth broke his heart. He opted to sit on her bed beside her and wrapped her up in his protective arms. "Tell me what you need," his voice was soothing and he ran his fingers through her hair. It was a very intimate act and he knew it. He could apologize for crossing the line later. Right now, his heart told him she needed a little intimacy. Hell, he needed the intimacy because she was scaring him to death.

Brennan shifted her head on the pillow a little in effort to find some relief before speaking, "I don't know. I feel awful and I can't stop it."

"I'm sorry, Bones, so sorry." His words weren't an apology. They were compassionate, not empty words. He knew what her simple admission that '_I can't stop it' _meant for her. She was Temperance Brennan, always in control. She'd managed her way out of some impossible situations like being buried alive and she had stayed in control every time. Now, her own body was betraying her and that put her in a situation she wasn't used to and clearly did not enjoy.

His comforting instincts kicked in, "Here, lean back." He leaned his back onto the headboard of her bed and pulled her with him, slowly, hoping that he didn't make her dizzy or nauseous.

The weakened anthropologist didn't have the strength to fight him. She let out a slight moan as she allowed her partner to pull her backward toward the headboard. Even the minimal movement forced her to have to fight off a wave of nausea. "Bones, you want the heating pad?" he asked as he helped her place her head on his chest.

"It's too bumpy," she mumbled as she dug her throbbing head and ear into his chest. "Your chest feels better," as she said this, a lone tear slipped down her cheek and she didn't even have the stamina to wipe it off before he could see it.

Thankful that he had left the hall light on, he lost his breath when he saw the tear. He used his thumb to wipe it from her porcelain cheek. "Shh, Bones, it's okay. Just rest for now, you'll feel better soon," he whispered gently.

She nodded slightly and gave in to the exhaustion that was quickly overtaking her, thankful that the room had stopped spinning for a brief moment.

Booth held her tightly out of concern and love. He glanced at the clock again and figured Cam would be over soon. He just hoped she'd be able to tell him what to do. He felt helpless like he had so many times before in his life when things he could have stopped ended up hurting those he loved. He could have stopped his dad from pushing his mom. He could have stopped that bullet from hitting Teddy Parker and he could have stopped the door from closing on the resonance chamber. What scared Booth was the fact that he had lost the other two people. Teddy Parker died beside him and his mom fled the family. He wouldn't be able to bear losing Bones. He knew she wasn't on the brink of death anything, but he could lose her in other ways. The what ifs all raced through his mind. What if she couldn't work anymore because her injury was permanent effectively ending their partnership. What if she blamed him for all of it and ended their friendship. What if she realized she allowed him to see her vulnerable and put all the walls back up that he spent years trying to break down.

With those horrendous thoughts, Booth leaned his own head forward and rested it on hers, taking in the scent of her hair. He needed to be close to her right now. He needed her more than anything. At that realization, Seeley Booth felt a pressure mount on his shoulders. It was as if the pressure that released when her eardrum ruptured was now piled on him. He knew how much he needed her and that she needed him. She needed him to physically support her right now and for emotional support as she would struggle to recover. The pressure didn't stem from the fact that she needed him. That part was enjoyable in an odd kind of way. It was a pressure that came from the need for balance that could easily be disrupted. He had to find a balance. If he babied her too much (and goodness knows he wanted to), she'd push him away very fast. On the other hand, if he didn't push at all, she wouldn't take care of herself and could end up permanently injured. With his Bones it was all about balance, he'd have to find it somehow if he wanted to meet both of their needs.

He sighed at the thought of his quandary but knew he couldn't develop a solution right now. He needed to hold her. He'd find his solution with time. He always did. So, for the moment, he settled with planting a gentle kiss in her hair allowing the touch of her skin and hair to his lips calm his fears. He somehow knew that everything world be alright no matter how pressurized things seemed at the present.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N -- As always, thanks to MickeyBoggs and BLC for the help. You guys are great and this story is better b/c of your help.**

**Thank you all so much for all the great reviews. I have to say that I am slightly surprised that the story is liked by so many. I didn't expect it to be received this well. I'm having a great time writing it. **

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**Enjoy the story and tonight's new episode.  
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Disclaimer - Bones belongs to Fox Broadcasting.**  
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Chapter 4

As much as he hated to admit it, Booth was content while he waited on Cam to get there. The circumstances were awful, that he knew, but holding his Bones while she slept was something he had dreamed about many, many times. It just felt right. He couldn't be 100 percent sure that she was asleep, but she was still and her breathing somewhat even. She only emitted the occasional wince or groan from the pain that had wracked her body for the past few hours. He only hoped it was beginning to get better.

It wasn't very long before Booth heard the front door open. He considered moving, but didn't want to disturb the sleeping anthropologist before absolutely necessary; any rest was a good thing.

Cam soon walked through the bedroom door and he motioned to her to turn on the lamp in the corner. "Hey Cam, thanks for coming over," he said, his voice an almost inaudible whisper.

As former lovers, they could communicate fairly well without speaking. Too, they'd been friends for 15 years and could read each other's thoughts in situations such as the one they were in now, so Booth answered Cam's unspoken question, "Fell asleep about 20 minutes ago." She gave him a simple nod as she smiled at the odd sight before her, her coworker was curled against her former boyfriend. She wondered why she wasn't jealous, but it didn't take a genius to know that the two belonged together. She knew it, though she did her best to deny it, when she first saw them at the train wreck where she met Brennan those 3 years ago. The partners were quite a pair, opposite but similar at the same time.

The concerned medical examiner sat her bag on the foot of the bed. Under normal situations, Booth would have teased her about the Prada doctor's bag Cam was sporting, but he didn't want to deter her from helping Brennan as soon as possible. "Seeley, I know she just got to sleep, but I need to look at her. Do you think you can get her to sit up some?"

He gave her a very tentative look before nodding and focusing on his ailing partner. "Hey Bones," he rubbed her arm gently to rouse her. "Bones, Cam's here and needs to take a look at you."

"Ugh," was all she said as she forced herself to open her eyes to meet Booth's brown ones currently displaying a very concerned expression.

Booth smoothed her hair slightly. "Come on, sit up a little bit for me," he said as he gently helped her sit up.

Cam let a little grin grow on her face. If she had walked into a similar situation at the lab under different circumstances, she would definitely comment about the level of physical intimacy she witnessed. He was so gentle with her. It was beautiful, actually. Seeley Booth had been a marvelous lover, but he had never shown her this tender compassion. It was clearly something he reserved for the love of his life, Temperance Brennan.

The movement once again made the room start spinning and Brennan clenched her jaw to keep the bile from claiming victory as it crept up her throat. She instinctively grabbed the night stand with one hand and her head with the other. The spinning sensation was overwhelming. "_I know he's just worried," _she thought to herself,_ "but I just want to sleep. I'll feel better after I sleep." _Her thoughts were fuzzy, but they were there. They were her effort to stay strong.

Opting to sit beside the bed, Cam placed a comforting hand on top of the one Brennan used to brace herself on the night stand. She spoke softly, taking her cues from Booth. "Dr. Brennan, can you tell me how you're feeling or what you think is causing this?" She didn't know if she would receive an answer. The anthropologist didn't appear very responsive at the moment, a circumstance Cam found unnerving given Brennan's usual control in all situations. She did, however know her well enough to give her the opportunity to attempt to diagnose herself.

Brennan did her best to muster some strength to answer Cam. "I don't know. My mind is not exactly sharp right now," she replied, then paused for a moment before managing to describe her symptoms as succinctly as possible. "I know my eardrum ruptured-I can't hear out of my right ear and it's bleeding. I have tinnitus. My head is throbbing. I'm nauseous, dizzy, and experiencing the symptoms of severe vertigo." With that, Brennan had exerted enough energy; she put her head back onto the headboard and covered her eyes with her left arm, still holding a washcloth over her still draining right ear with her other.

As her partner looked on, he had to smile. Despite her obvious pain, she'd managed to stay in control long enough to explain her symptoms to Cam in a somewhat scientific manner. It didn't seem like a lot, but it was a testimony to her inner strength. Booth recalled their earlier conversation about the 'marks' people leave on each other. She'd been marked by many people – that much he knew. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the stories of how she received her marks, but he did know that as painful as they may have been at the time, they made her the amazing Temperance Brennan he knew and loved.

The trio sat in silence for a few moments as the medical examiner checked over her very much alive patient. After doing an initial workup and checking her vitals – eyes, pulse, and blood pressure, Cam reached into her bag for her otoscope. "Brennan, I know this is going to hurt, but I need to check your ear," she explained in a clinical tone. She hadn't used that tone in so long – the dead didn't require a good beside manner, but she needed to let Brennan know what would happen. Normally, it wouldn't hurt, but with a recently ruptured eardrum and possibly other damage, any activity in the ear canal wouldn't be pleasant.

Brennan honestly didn't care what Cam did, so long as she could just lie back down. She surprised herself, however by blurting out "I need to lie down." Sickness tended to remove her speech filter and sense of discretion. Most of the time, she could contain it or was alone when she didn't feel well. Now, with the ever watchful and protective Booth in the room, she needed the filter more than ever. She didn't want to show him weakness. It wasn't that it was embarrassing; it was more personal than that. She knew she was strong and hoped Booth saw her as strong. Showing him weakness might make him think less of her as a person, as a partner. He deserved a strong partner.

"I know, I'm sorry, just let me look and then you can lie back down." Cam shot Booth a concerned look when Brennan verbally asked to lie down. The physician in Cam knew that she needed treatment in an emergency room. If she was sick enough to speak about it, maybe she would even need a hospital admission. She took a deep breath and used to the pointed instrument to look in the damaged ear. She studied it, squinted at it for a few seconds before pulling it out and saying, "Here, you can lie down now. You need to put your right ear down and use the heating pad." Cam gave Brennan a supporting arm as she collapsed back into her pillows and did as instructed.

Cam carefully finished the rest of the exam and then turned to Booth. "How much did she throw up?"

"Too much—went on for about half an hour last time. Not sure how long she did it earlier, I was at the store when she started," he said, flying through the explanation. "What's wrong with her?" he said, cutting right to the chase. He needed answers.

Speaking as she threw a few things into her bag, Cam offered him the best information that she had. "Her eardrum ruptured, obviously. It'll take a while to heal, but it will be okay. I'm more worried about all the fluid and swelling in her middle ear, the hearing loss, and the nausea / vertigo," she paused to think for a minute. "How long were you guys in that chamber?"

Booth didn't come by the special agent title by accident. He did it by being able to read people, to decipher when they were hiding things. He knew Cam wasn't being completely straight with him at the moment. He'd push her if he needed to in order to get the answers he sought. "Cam, tell me what all this means," his voice was firm, slightly frustrated that his friend seemed to be withholding information.

Cam figured he would pick up on her tentativeness. She wished he wasn't so observant. She didn't know the whole story, but there was more wrong with Brennan than a simple ruptured ear drum. She certainly didn't want to be the one to tell Booth that the woman he loved might have a serious injury. She hated giving him the news, but hated even more that he would inevitably blame himself for her condition. She'd read the initial report, he couldn't have stopped it but he would never accept that reasoning.

She firmed her voice and took a deep breath as she prepared herself to give him the full story. "I don't know, but it COULD be something to do with the inner ear or. . .," she had to take a breath before finishing as gently as possible. "Sometimes. . .major acoustic trauma can lead to brain or skull injuries."

Booth swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, satisfied now that Cam had given him an honest answer even if he didn't like it. He chose to answer her original question, "Probably less than 2 minutes—that was long enough." He glanced at Brennan who was clearly out of it.

Cam nodded, "She needs to go to the hospital and let them test her for a few things. If it's something serious, the sooner they treat it the better. Besides, she's not going to be comfortable until she's medicated and rehydrated."

Booth felt like someone had punched him in the stomach at the phrase-'treat it.' '_That means surgery, doesn't it,' _he thought to himself. The only thing he was able do was nod.

As his friend, Cam knew he was inwardly freaking out, "Seeley, in the hall for a minute." She took his hand and guided him into the hallway so they could talk without disturbing Brennan. "Don't worry about it yet. I don't know what it is-maybe it's nothing and she just needs to rest. Either way, the best neurotologist on the east coast works at Georgetown. I'll get him to take her today," she pulled Booth into a comforting hug. "You know big man, you've got to tell her how you feel," she said as she rubbed his back.

The comment stunned Booth; he pulled out of the hug and gave Cam a questioning look. She just laughed a little, "Booth, it's obvious," she shook her head and gave him a sly smile. "Now, you go stay here with her and let me go call the hospital and get things set up. I'll get them to have a bed ready so you can skip the whole emergency room thing. She's not going to be able to handle sitting there waiting anyway. "

"Thanks Cam, really – for everything," he knew he wasn't appropriately thanking her, but that's all he could get out. He was slightly stunned at her statement about his feelings. He did his best to avoid the fact that she had called him on his love for Bones. He knew she was right, though. He needed to tell her, but again, with his partner it was all about balance and she wouldn't have balance if he blurted out his feelings right now.

The medical examiner and occasional physician smiled, grabbed her bag and walked out to make all the arrangements.

Booth took the opportunity to slide back into the bed beside Brennan. She instinctively curled into him, again pressing her ear into the strong, warm chest before her. She felt her partner's strong hands gently massaging her scalp. She couldn't stop it, a light groan poured out of her lips. She didn't know if it was from the pain or the enjoyment.

To an outsider, her groan would have sounded sexual, a groan of passion elicited by close proximity to a lover. Booth, however, knew it wasn't out of enjoyment, but pain or desperation.

"Bones, you okay? You need something?" he asked her as he continued running his fingers through her hair.

He had to crack a small smile at her slurred speech when she answered. He wondered if she always talked like this when she was in the place between sleep and wake. He never would have pictured Bones as loose lipped and loopy in any circumstance, but he was wrong about her before. "Mmm, can't sleep – hurts," was all that she could mumble.

Her partner responded, "I know Bones. As soon as Cam comes back, we'll take you to the hospital and get you some medicine." He just hoped that they'd give her something strong to completely alleviate her pain.

"Don't need a hospital—just need to sleep," the stubborn scientist protested with all the energy she could gather. Despite her best effort, though, she just sounded weak. Honestly, she didn't want to move. She liked the warmth his chest provided. He was strong and firm, much better than any heating pad.

The agent's immediate instinct was to protest and argue with her about her unwillingness to take care of herself, but he managed to hold his tongue. She wouldn't be able to fight him right now even if she wanted to. Arguing with her would just waste her energy and she obviously needed all she could get.

The pair lay still and quiet while Cam talked on her phone in the other room. Occasionally, Booth could make out a few words she said like trauma, weakness, and vertigo. He did his best to use the advice Bones always gave him, '_Don't speculate or jump to conclusions_.' He needed to keep it together and wait until he had all the facts to worry about her.

After a short while, Cam walked back in to the bedroom to find Brennan once again curled onto Booth. She signaled him with a nod indicating that the arrangements were made. He gave her a forced grin and began to speak to his partner. "Bones," he spoke as he began to sit up. "You want me to carry you out to the car?" He hoped she'd just say yes and they wouldn't have to struggle.

"Why?" she asked without really opening her eyes. She was clearly confused and didn't remember the previous conversation about the hospital. "_I just want to sleep and I wish they would stop talking to me and he'd be still," _she grumbled internally.

He shot Cam a glance as if to ask what he needed to do. She spoke up instead. "Dr. Brennan, I really think you need to go in to Georgetown and have some testing done. I've called and set everything up."

"I'm fine, just need to sleep." She protested with a complete sentence this time hoping they would just leave her to deal with her misery alone. It would be better that way, she had grown accustomed to it over the years and frankly, it was nice not to have to feel weak around people even if she did feel better when someone seemed to care about her. She knew it was illogical, but she missed the comfort his simple presence provided when Booth had walked out of the room to talk with Cam.

Even if her logical side desired to be alone, the people around her right now – her loved ones, were persistent. She felt Booth's strong arms begin to force her to sit up. "Bones, just please, let me help you. You have to get checked out; this isn't going to go away on its own."

His voice sounded different as he pled with her to let him take her to the hospital. It made her a little nervous so she cracked her eyes to see his expression and attempt to make a judgment about his feelings, even though she wasn't very good at reading people.

When her eyes met his, she saw Booth's pleading. He gave her that look, the one she couldn't resist. Angela called it 'eyesex' when she gave into him because of the look. She didn't understand the expression Angela used, but she did understand the look. It was irresistible and always made her give up. In some ways, she hated the smile, but in other ways she loved it.

Unable to resist the eyes and realizing that she'd expend too much energy trying to argue, she relented with a sigh. "Fine, but I need to change and I'm walking out by myself." She could at least maintain some control.

"Bones. . ." Booth began to protest before he was cut off by Cam who could sympathize with Brennan's need to maintain some sense of dignity after already conceding the need to go to the hospital. Seeley Booth was overprotective with Brennan in a way he wasn't with anyone else, except perhaps his son. She wondered if he realized that sometimes he treated his partner as a child. Sure, her innocence was beautiful, but she was clearly a strong woman. _'He knows that,_' she thought to herself. _'His feelings for her just get in the way sometimes. He still has a lot to learn.'_

"Booth, just go grab her purse and pull the car up to the door. I'll help her get ready and you can come back up and walk out with us." Cam spoke sternly but confidently. She knew all about Booth's protective side, she'd even been subjected to it from time to time but never to the extent that he always protected Brennan. She was different and everyone knew it.

The master of protection stayed perched beside his partner, not willing to move. Cam spoke, even more firmly this time, "Seeley, go, I'll make sure she is okay." She then gave him her typical eyebrow raise. He knew that she wouldn't back down from her stance. He would just have to comply.

The fact that he didn't like it was an understatement. Did he trust Cam? Yes, but Bones was still his Bones, his charge. Letting someone else take care of her was against his nature. He knew, though, that if he protested too much, he'd end up losing the battle and Brennan would demand to stay at home. She might even refuse treatment if he did manage to get her to the hospital just to demonstrate that she was in control. "Fine," he relented, "but I'll be back up in 10 minutes to help you walk down. BE CAREFUL."

Cam gave Booth a harsh eye roll at his final statement. He'd received a similar eye roll from Agent Perotta only a few weeks ago when he warned her about letting Bones go in the field alone. The difference was that this time he actually saw it. He unhappily left the room and made sure to look at his watch. He wouldn't allow them too much time.

***

Just as Booth promised, he was back in exactly 10 minutes. He walked into the bedroom to find the two women mostly ready. It wasn't fun, but Cam managed to help the anthropologist don a simple pair of workout pants and a t-shirt. As the agent reentered the bedroom, Cam was providing a supporting arm as Brennan, who was still sitting, worked to pull a fleece pullover over her head.

As she worked to complete the simple task, Brennan contemplated her current situation. She felt many things, namely pain and weakness. She was off-balance, literally and figuratively. She couldn't even manage to put on a shirt while sitting without the room beginning to spin. At that moment, she realized that she needed to accept help that she didn't want. If she wanted to get her balance back, she'd have to take it. She'd do her best to remain strong, but she would grudgingly accept Booth's help when her efforts weren't enough.

She felt the tension (the last thing she needed right now) building in her neck muscles as she thought about having to accept the help. She didn't like it and knew she would have to watch her attitude or risk coming across as bitchy. The problem was, she wasn't sure that she had the stamina to keep the attitude in check. Hopefully, though, she'd be able to avoid causing permanent damage to everyone.

In just a few seconds, she was ready and finally spoke. "If you two are dragging me to the hospital against my wishes, you damned well better make sure there is a morphine drip waiting for me." Her voice was filled with piss and vinegar as she spoke. "_Damn, I shouldn't have said that," _she inwardly cursed but was thankful that she was capable of thinking again. It was a start.

Both her 'loved ones' cringed as she gave her best effort to be sharp but failed miserably.

Booth positioned himself in front of his partner and gave her another securing hug. "Bones, I know this sucks, but it's for the best you can't go on like this. We have to get you better." Releasing her, he asked "You ready to get going?"

Despite the desire to say no and go back to sleep, Brennan complied. "Yes, but move too fast and I'll take you down." The remark was a pitiful attempt to reclaim control. She knew she wouldn't be able to swat a fly at the moment. Truthfully, the comment seemed to require more energy from her than she would normally use during her 3 mile morning run. She hated this.

Booth and Cam passed glances across the room. The most recent two statements to leave Brennan's lips were snotty and childish – very un-Brennan-like. The truth was that she didn't intend to be childish or snotty, it was just the result of her pain and lack of balance. Cam gave Booth a nod indicating that she understood that Brennan was acting uncharacteristically out of the turmoil rolling through her body and mind at the moment and not out of ill intentions. Booth gave a grateful nod in return.

The walk to the SUV – actually to the living room—was eventful to say the least. Brennan tried to be strong, and control herself, but it was a losing battle. She'd managed to stand without issue, but walking was different. Every time her body shifted, she stumbled even with Booth holding on to her. To make matters worse, the nausea returned with a vengeance about halfway down the hallway.

Finally, she gave up, she just couldn't do it. She was sure at that point that the pear of anguish used in that murder a few weeks ago had nothing on the torture she was currently experiencing. "_Booth, just make it stop_," she thought to herself and practically cried as she stopped, leaned her body against the wall, and worked to take deep breaths in effort to hold it together. If Booth had been the only one with her, she probably would have made the request out loud and allowed the tears to flow freely.

As always, Booth was there; his hands were securing and his words comforting. "Bones, it's alright," he scooped her into his arms. "Just let me take care of this, okay? Just give it to me."

Brennan finally gave in and let her partner carry her the rest of the way to the car. He was worried, terrified but he had to carry her – physically and emotionally.

Cam looked at the interaction before her. She was concerned for both of them. Concerned for Brennan's health and concerned for Booth's well being. They were very much in love and any twist could throw them off balance. She was sure that neither of them had acknowledged the truth to the other. Perhaps they hadn't even admitted it to themselves yet. Hopefully, though, the experience would bring them together. Somehow, through the turmoil, a pressure would be lifted and replaced by the beginning of a new relationship.

To be continued . . .


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N -- Sorry for the entirely too long of a delay on this chapter. I hope to be more regular with the updates now that I am done with work until August. Thank goodness. I'll also be updating Regaining Her Footing sometime this week. Be on the lookout for it. **

**As always, thanks to MickeyBoggs and BLC for their proofing / ideas on this chapter. You are terrific.**

**Thank you all so much for all of your reviews, PMs, and encouragement about this story. I am very excited to give you all something you enjoy reading. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please continue to let me know what you think.**

Disclaimer - Bones is property of Fox Broadcasting.

Chapter 5

A small amount of relief began to flow through Booth's veins as soon as he was able to sit his partner on the top of a sterile hospital bed. At least she would finally get some medicine to help her. He wasn't sure how much longer she could tolerate it or how much longer he could watch her hurt. It wasn't like her and he knew it had to be bad if it knocked her off her game.

The ride to the hospital had been relatively calm. Brennan was completely silent from the moment she allowed him to lift her into his secure arms and carry her to his SUV. Her silence unnerved him to some extent, but he knew it was most likely a mixture of discomfort, defeat, and displeasure with her current situation.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Cam had taken care of everything and a nurse met them at the back door, directing Booth to carry Brennan into a private hospital room on the second floor of the building. The nurse offered him a wheelchair as soon as he walked through the door but he declined, stating that she didn't need to change the position of her head over and over.

Booth spent the last several hours observing his partner and he knew that any head movement inflamed her symptoms. It was a good enough excuse not to put her down. Honestly, though, he didn't want to put her down. He liked how it felt to have her head against his chest and her arms around her neck. Besides that, he felt responsible for her infirmity. He needed to carry her-to fix what he broke. He told her just a few minutes before to give it to him and let him take care of it. He would make good on his guarantee. He always did what he said he would do.

Everyone, including his young son, knew that Seeley Booth always made good on his promises. Whether or not he realized his partner's true feelings toward him, they were there. Brennan knew in her heart that Booth was a good man with a remarkably protective nature. He put his life on the line more times than anyone she knew. He had jumped into a pool to save a little boy from Gormogon, jumped in front of that bullet in the Checkerbox, and most recently, pushed her against the wall when they thought there was a bomb in the Jeffersonian. They'd both be fools if they thought there was no passion involved. If Angela had seen it, she'd have called the moment hot.

The nurturing side of Booth was in full swing even if it was approaching 5:00 am and he hadn't slept a wink. He would typically be hitting the snooze button right now before dragging himself out of the bed for his morning workout.

He gently placed her on the bed, covered her with a blanket and pulled her into another comforting hug. "Any better?" he asked as he pulled her hand from her right ear and gave her a new washcloth. She managed to give him a tentative shrug before accepting the washcloth and putting her head back on the bed. '_Should her ear still be bleeding two hours later?' _he thought nervously.

At that moment, Cam walked back into the room and must have noticed him studying her ear or washcloth or something. He knew she could read him almost as well as Bones could, almost. "Booth, ruptured eardrums can drain for days," she explained gently. "It's not really that much blood anyway, it just spreads."

He gave her a grateful nod and then followed up with a questioning look. The silent conversation was finished when Cam answered him. "The nurse said the chief resident already wrote some initial orders for her and they're going to trust my initial workup and just refer her to Hawkins instead of doing an ER evaluation on her. It'll save her from someone else prodding her. She put a call in to Hawkins, the neuotologist I told you about."

"When are they going to give her something?" Clearly her comfort was his primary concern.

Cam sighed; he wasn't going to like the answer. "She's going to start an IV of fluids in a few minutes, but they'll need to do some testing before they give her too much medicine. It could keep them from finding the source of the problem." She looked at him and then shot her coworker a glance.

Just as she finished speaking, Brennan let one small word escape her lips, "Booth?"

His attention shifted from Cam to Brennan. "What is it Bones, I'm right here, what do you need?" He did his best not to sound like a lovesick idiot, but felt like he failed miserably. Brennan, however, was too out of it to notice his mannerisms. At least his middle school tendencies went undetected, this time.

Brennan was doing her best to relax, but couldn't manage to get comfortable. She kept her eyes closed as she gave him a simple answer, thankful she could at least find the words to form a sentence – an ability that seemed to be coming and going in her current circumstances. "Can you find an extra pillow or something?" Her voice was shaky and weak. '_I guess they didn't ask for the morphine drip,'_ she thought to herself before letting out a sigh. She moved her hand from her ear and tried to apply some pressure to her ear by pushing it into the foam pillow sitting on the bed.

He grabbed another pillow and put it behind her head. "You want something to drink, Bones?" he smoothed some hair off her furrowed brow as he asked.

She let out a long breath, thankful that she at least had the will power to stifle the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of something in her stomach. "No," she answered. "I don't think that would be a wise decision right now." She didn't need to explain further. He would know what she meant and even if he didn't already know, the green appearance on her face would have been a good indicator.

Cam chose that moment to exit. "I'm going to go see if I can get the nurse in here. Then I need to head home to get ready for work."

Booth walked over to his friend and gave her a hug. "Thanks Cam, really," he hoped his tone conveyed his sense of gratitude.

She gave him a goofy smile as she thought about events of the last few hours. They were very telling and she was pretty sure Angela would have a field day if she found out. "No problem, she'd do the same for me," she paused briefly. "Besides, anything happens to her and the powers that be would have my head."

They both laughed and then Cam left, leaving the alpha male to care for his female. "Here," he said as he climbed onto the bed with her. He didn't need any more prompting than her simple request for an extra pillow. He slid his arm under her and she immediately curled her body up against her newly found heating pad.

He held her tightly and rubbed slow circles on her back for a few minutes. "Better," he finally spoke when she seemed to be a little more comfortable.

"Little," she mumbled over the ringing and throbbing in her head.

Probably no more than 5 minutes later, the nurse entered the room. "Good morning! I'm Natalie and I'll be the nurse on shift until 3:30 today," she chirped.

Steam began to rise from the FBI Agent's ears. '_She's lucky I'm not going to shoot her right now for being that loud,' _he thought. _'She's probably related to Sweets' girlfriend.'_

Booth spoke softly, hoping that she'd follow his cues. "Morning," he opted to keep the conversation simple.

The nurse must have had some common sense because she toned down her overly loud chipperness as soon as she received his greeting. "Looks like it's been a rough night for her," she looked through her chart for a few seconds. "I'm going to start an IV and get some fluids in her."

Taking that as his cue to get off the bed, Booth carefully pulled his arm out from behind his partner's back and stood. "Bones, the nurse is going to get started. You probably need to sit up some."

Brennan steeled herself for the wave of nausea that she knew would follow even the slightest of movements. She gingerly used her hands to get herself to a sitting position and the nurse raised the head of the bed a little for her. It was only a few seconds later that the room again began to spin and she became ghostly pale. She grabbed onto the side of the bed in effort to steady herself.

The nurse noticed the motion immediately and spoke directly to her patient. "Dizziness, nausea, or both?" she asked succinctly as she continued to work to take a few of Brennan's vitals.

"Both," the anthropologist spoke weakly. Her head was still throbbing intensely so speaking wasn't on the top of her to do list.

"Alright, Temperance, I'm really sorry. Let me get the IV in you and then I'll give you something for the nausea. Dr. Hawkins wants to wait on giving you anything for the dizziness or a relaxant until after he does a physical." She was compassionate as she as she spoke. She could see the amount of discomfort her patient was in and, honestly, she wanted to give her something.

Brennan sat silently and didn't protest the decision to wait on the medication. Internally, she felt bad enough to protest and possibly even beg for something that would knock her out, but she was too strong to protest the decision to wait outwardly and seem any weaker than she actually was. At least she told herself she was too strong to protest, but there was a possibility that she was actually too exhausted to protest.

The protector in the room spoke up without hesitation. "Why wait? This has been going on for several hours now," he said sternly. He was her protector and he knew she wouldn't or couldn't ask the questions herself. He'd take care of her.

The young nurse cringed slightly at the sharp tone she received, but truthfully, it wasn't her fault. "I'm really sorry. The medicines we would give her to calm the vertigo would mask all her symptoms. Dr. Hawkins wouldn't be able to tell what is causing the problem," she hoped that would keep him from becoming infuriated. "I'll make sure she gets something as soon as possible, but I'll see what I can do in the meantime."

He considered putting up a fight or pulling out his gun, but his partner's voice interrupted his protective nature. "Booth, it's okay," she managed. Under different conditions, she would have followed up with an '_I can take care of myself,'_ comment, but she wasn't a very good liar.

Booth backed down for the sake of his partner. He was thankful that she was capable of putting up some semblance of a fight. "Fine. But he'll be here soon, correct?" His tone easily signaled that it was more of a command than a question.

Natalie nodded. "Dr. Saroyan talked to him before she left and he said he would come here before going into the office. He usually doesn't do rounds until later in the day."

Booth nodded and then sat beside Brennan's bed and held her hand as the nurse worked. She drew blood, pricked her finger, checked a few things, and then started to hook her up to the much needed fluids.

In only a few short minutes, Brennan sported a new IV. "Temperance, we're giving you D5W instead of Ringer's. Dr. Saroyan said you had a lot of fluid fullness in your ear and that will help keep you from retaining fluid due to the extra sodium. Also, your blood sugar was pretty low when I checked it-probably from all the vomiting," she spoke softly and placed a comforting hand on Brennan's blanket-covered knee. "D5W will keep you electrolytes in balance. You were pretty dehydrated; you'll need a couple of bags."

Booth hated that Bones only gave the nurse a nod and didn't even bother to open her eyes as she did. Her fight was fading more the longer she lacked pain medication. That was nerve-wracking for her partner.

The nurse clipped the bag of fluids onto the IV pole and stepped out for just a brief moment. She opened the door before returning with two small syringes in her hand. "This is a small dose of an anti-emetic. It will settle your stomach and maybe help you sleep some," she explained as she inserted the tip of the syringe into the port on her IV line. She pushed the medication and put the empty syringe into the sharps container. "I am also going to give you a mild analgesic. Hopefully it will help you rest a little better – take the edge of your headache," she spoke as she repeated her previous actions and disposed of the second syringe.

The nurse made her exit after making sure they could find the call button and a few other things. For some reason, she knew that Brennan would be in good hands._ 'I'd make a move on him myself if he wasn't clearly taken.'_ She figured the nurses out at the desk would be fighting over who got to bring her lunch tray in. She made a mental note to explain to all of the others that he was clearly already taken. He was definitely a '_flirt at your own risk'_ person. She'd seen his gun and how he looked at Dr. Brennan.

Time passed slowly for the partners. Brennan mostly tried to rest and Booth mostly worried and watched Brennan for any signs of discomfort. He watched over her, studied her and posited scenarios in his head for what might happen once she was done at the hospital and they actually knew what was wrong with her and how she would need to be treated. Some of the scenarios were wonderful such as lazing around on the couch holding his Bones while she rested. He wanted to make her breakfast and massage her soft skin, to run his fingers through that soft hair. Others were awful such as working with a new partner and having to talk Clark or Daisy out into the field.

Finally, after about 30 minutes of waiting Natalie rapped softly on the door causing Booth to snap out of his reverie. Brennan's reaction wasn't as sharp, but she did shift weakly to look at the door as it opened.

"Temperance," she asked as she walked in the room. "Dr. Hawkins just called in. He should be here in 20 minutes or so. I need you to get changed into a hospital gown in case he wants to send you to radiology."

The mighty Temperance Brennan took a deep breath and sat up slightly. The room began to spin again and she had to grab Booth's arm rather suddenly to steady herself, but thankfully, the bile didn't rise in her throat. Her stomach felt weak, but she wasn't at risk of throwing up at the moment. She could at least be thankful for the little things.

Natalie grabbed a hospital gown from the small counter and looked to Booth. "Why don't you give us a few minutes, maybe go get some breakfast," she tried to be gentle and tiptoe with her words. She didn't want his overprotective tendencies to prevent her from getting the patient the privacy and care she needed. She wasn't sure of the status of their relationship was, but she heard Dr. Saroyan say they were _just partners _before she left. That was enough for her to know that Brennan wouldn't want to change in front of her _partner._

"No way," Booth began but was cut off by his Bones.

Brennan was hurt or sick, she wasn't sure which it was, but she certainly wasn't incapable. She had seen Booth's eyes, his concern for her was evident, but she wasn't dying. "Booth, I'm fine."

"Clearly," he said, sarcasm flowing through each syllable.

'_That worked well,'_ the anthropologist thought to herself. Forcing herself to continue thinking through the fuzz filling her skull, she knew she had to think of a way to get him out of the room so she could change. She had seen him naked before, but she was in such a stupor at that moment that his appearance didn't even register in her mind. She did not want him seeing her undress for the first time in a small hospital room and when she could barely hold her head up without tossing her cupcakes. '_Is it cookies or cupcakes,' _she thought to herself but she honestly didn't care so that was as far as the thought went.

Deciding that giving him a responsibility might get him out of the room, Brennan spoke again. "Booth, I'll be okay, I feel a little better already." It wasn't a lie, exactly. She had been able to sit up without throwing up. "Do you think you could bring me a milkshake or something? I'm not up to food, but it might help."

She was right; Booth couldn't deny her food or milkshakes. Goodness knows he spent enough time pestering her to eat. He nodded like a lost child and began to walk out of the room. "Booth," she called weakly. "There's a twenty in my purse, please take it." She'd managed to set her tone in a non-questioning manner so he would understand why she said it. She wasn't arguing with him about his ability to pay and he knew that. She was attempting to exert some control of her situation. He could at least give her that.

"Okay, Bones," he said as he stepped over to the counter and opened that which was forbidden for most men – the purse. He scrambled around a little as he looked for her wallet. "_Why does she need the big bags anyway? This is Bones we're talking about, not some girly girl." _Finally, he found it. He grabbed the small leather wallet and couldn't help but notice what lie beneath. He had to blink to make sure he saw correctly. There, at the bottom of her purse were the two things he gave her – Brainy Smurf and Jasper. He would have never expected to see them again but there they were.

He froze for a moment as he tried to process what he saw. He knew she changed purses all the time so it wasn't that she had forgotten they were in there. She hadn't cleaned out her desk lately either. _'She wouldn't keep these with her all the time, would she?' _he questioned as he pulled a twenty out of her wallet and closed the purse as if it contained something that would escape.

Seeing Brainy and Jasper in her purse with the things she used everyday unnerved Booth. '_I don't know what that means,' _he thought as he walked back toward the door. "I'll be back soon, Bones," he said aloud without turning around. He couldn't look at her right now. He had to take a moment to compose his thoughts and figure out what it all meant. He let out a sigh, swallowed the lump in his throat, and went to get her a milkshake. '_Focus on one thing at a time Seel,' h_e told himself. '_Just get her a milkshake, help her feel better, deal with the rest later.'_

Try as he might though, his thoughts haunted him all the way to the nearby café. He would never have dreamed that two small, plastic figurines would be important to a rational forensic anthropologist. Sure, he'd given them to her out of love, the friendly type he told himself, but how did she receive them. Maybe he was wrong about how she felt about him. Maybe there was something there. _'Come on Seel, focus on the task and when she feels better you can talk about it,' _he thought. At that point, he made a promise to himself to have a very important talk with his partner as soon as she was physically well enough to deal with some emotions. He took a deep breath, pushed the door to the café open, and set out to complete his task.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - I, again, apologize for such a big delay on getting this chapter posted. I always thought I'd find more time to write over the summer, but that has not been the case. I've struggled with time and motivation for both of my stories. The ideas just aren't flowing as quickly as I would like, but I promise you will will finish this and Footing. Please don't doubt that. I hope some of you are still interested in reading and are hanging in there with me.**

**As always, thanks to MickeyBoggs for proofing this and to Hannah, Yvette, and Starrfyre for prereading for me.**

**Thank you all much for your wonderful reviews and DMs on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think, good or bad. I hope to begin writing some more soon. Hopefully as soon as I finish the next chapter of Regaining Her Footing. **

Disclaimer - Bones belongs to Fox Broadcasting.

Chapter 6

The five hundred yard walk back to the hospital from the diner was one of the longest ones Booth had ever made. That included the time he had carried Teddy Parker as he was dying. That time, and this one, every step pounded in his head and sent his thoughts spiraling. He had just a few minutes to push his feelings below the surface and get his act together before he reached the hospital entrance. '_I completely understand what Bones means by compartmentalizing now,' _he thought to himself. He had to push the questioning feelings beneath the surface so he could effectively care for his Bones now. She'd been doing the same thing her entire life. Most people thought she just didn't feel, but that was far from the truth. She felt things deeply, but she was a genius. She knew how to push things deep down and make people think she was unaffected. He wasn't sure if it was a weakness or strength, but he understood it.

He could discuss the feelings with her later. Right now he needed to make sure she was healthy and that she could be his partner again. If he couldn't have her as a romantic partner, he would settle for work partner. At least that way he got to see her, make her laugh, and give her guy hugs. No one in their right mind would consider what he did as a guy hug, though. He was surprised that he was able to fool Brennan with that statement. With guy hugs, you don't linger so long and certainly don't rub the palm of your hands up and down their back long enough to feel the sharp, beautiful edges of their shoulder blades. '_Damn,'_ he internally chastised himself. _ 'I have it so bad for her. When did she turn me into some guy from a sappy chick flick?'_

He shook his head to snap himself out of his reverie. He was walking under the awning of the main hospital entrance. The whoosh of the hospital doors finished bringing him back to reality. He had a task he had to complete right now. He skipped the elevator and took the stairs back to Brennan's second floor hospital room. As he passed the nurses' station, he couldn't help but notice the tall, lean man flipping through a chart. He hoped that would be the infamous Dr. Hawkins, but he had no way to know for sure and frankly, he didn't want to waste the time stopping to ask.

He stopped as he crossed the threshold into Brennan's hospital room. The nurse was helping Brennan back onto the bed. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. She had changed into one of the ugly, blue hospital gowns and was actually allowing the nurse to provide her with a supporting arm. Normally, anyone who tried to touch her like that would have their arm dislocated at the elbow.

The nurse noticed his entrance and gave him a slight nod indicating it was alright to enter. Booth didn't hesitate. He walked in, put the milkshake on the rolling table, stuck the $20 she told him to take back in her purse and pulled his chair back up to the bed before plopping down. "Hey Bones. How you doing?" he asked in his caring tone.

Apparently, she had enough spice remaining inside to provide a ridiculous answer. "I'm fine," she croaked out while pinching her eyes shut to stave off the waves of pain and nausea that still rolled through her body.

"Whatever, Bones," he said as he rolled his eyes but inwardly fought down a grin. It was a simple confirmation that his Bones was still there. "Here's your milkshake," Booth offered as he moved the brown-topped rolling table closer to her.

Brennan hated that she lied to him to get him out, but there was no way she could allow anything to hit her stomach right now. She knew she probably needed to, but she'd done enough vomiting to last her the rest of her life. "Booth, I can't," she told her partner as she worked to control her breathing to ward off the nausea. "I'm still a bit dizzy from changing and all I want to do is try to sleep."

As her partner and friend, he never thought he would give up that easily when it came to trying to get her to ingest some calories, but this time he knew it was for the best. "That's fine Bones."

"Thanks Booth, could you move it?" she asked simply. She couldn't even stand the scent of it and it was close enough to her to allow the chemicals to waft into her nose.

The protective FBI agent did as she asked but shot a concerned look to the nurse who was reattaching the bags of fluids to the IV pole. She didn't even need to wait on a question. "We'll get her straightened out. Hawkins is out at the desk looking over her chart. He should be in soon," Natalie explained. "Just so you know, I put a yellow band on her wrist. It just means she's considered a fall risk and should not try to get out of the bed on her own."

Booth shot a concerned look at Brennan who was, once again, trying to get comfortable by putting pressure against her right ear. He tried to think of something he could do to help her, but he came up empty.

Natalie, who was prepping to leave, must have seen his internal struggle and opted to offer a little advice. "I'll bring you a warming pack so that you can hold it over her ear for her. She's not going to be able to hold the pressure there herself. It'd be better if you'd help," she explained.

At the nurse's prompting, Booth slid his chair closer to Brennan and used his own hand to put some pressure on the offending ear. They sat that way in silence for just a few minutes. Booth did check his watch once and noted that it was approaching 7:00. '_Where the hell is this amazing doctor?' _he thought to himself. Natalie had already returned with the warm pack and gone back out to the nurse's station. Booth wasn't sure what Brennan was thinking or if she had managed to fall asleep. She did occasionally emit a small wince and each time she did he tried to place a little more pressure over her ear or rub a few soothing circles on her thigh, hoping that it would help, at least in part.

He thought about their current situation and how intimate of an act it was for him to rub her thigh. He wasn't sure when he crossed that cursed line, but he had and there was no turning back now. Just like his army days, when you infiltrated a line, there was no turning back, you had to take action. He'd have to take action now, the question was, when would be the right time to expose himself to her, to reveal his feelings. Just like revealing yourself to the enemy, the timing had to be perfect. Reveal yourself too soon and it would lead to disaster. Reveal yourself too late and lots of times, you miss your moment and opportunity.

As he was, once again, drowning in his own thoughts, he heard a light rap at the door. Almost as soon as the knock ended, the door opened to reveal the same tall, lean man Booth had seen flipping through the chart at the nurses' station only minutes earlier. "Temperance Brennan?" he asked as he pulled the rolling stool up to her bed.

At some point, Brennan must have fallen asleep because she didn't respond immediately to the doctor's introduction. "Bones, hey Bones, you need to wake up," Booth spoke softly and slowly pulled his strong hand off of her ear and removed the warming pack. He noticed her crack one eye, supply a simple grimace in response to the light, and being the stubborn woman that she was, use her arms to push herself back up to a sitting position.

She took in a deep breath to try and ward off the ensuing nausea. Dr. Hawkins may or may not have noticed the actions, but Booth knew. He grabbed the controls to the bed and raised it up to meet her back and placed his hand simply on hers giving her a gentle squeeze. It was probably only a few seconds later that she managed to gain enough control of her own body to respond. "You can call me Temperance," she stated dryly.

"Alright, Temperance, I'm Andrew Hawkins," he formally introduced himself and placed a comforting hand on her forearm. "You are?" he directed his attention to Booth.

Booth stood at the question, "Special Agent Seeley Booth. I'm Bones' partner. I'm with the FBI," Booth finished and had to push himself to resist the temptation to flash his badge.

The lanky doctor raised his eyebrows at the word partner and took another look at the chart before speaking any further. "Normally," he said. "I'd go ahead and do the history before I start my exam, but I think you'd benefit from medication as soon as possible. It will make you pretty incoherent for a while. Was there anyone with you at the time of the occurrence that could answer my questions?" he asked.

Brennan managed her scientific tone as she answered. "Booth was there and I'm sure Dr. Collar would be able to send the schematic for the resonance chamber. . ." she paused for a second and pinched her eyes shut against a wave of something that Booth couldn't make out. "Collar could send the schematic and details for the resonance chamber if you needed to look at those to get a better picture of the method of injury."

Hawkins nodded. "Good then. Let's go ahead and get started with the workup and I'll get you doped to the gills so you can rest for a while," he smiled a little as he spoke.

If Booth had been drinking coffee he would have sprayed some through his nose at Brennan's next remark. "I don't know what that means," she said in typical Brennan fashion.

Booth knew at that point that she'd be okay ultimately. As the relief rushed through his veins, so did the laughter. Brennan wasn't pleased to hear the laughter, however. She quickly put both hands over her ears and let out a shrill wince. "Jesus, Bones, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to hurt you."

Hawkins was slightly amused at the interaction before him and the way this beautiful woman turned this tall FBI agent to mush. "I'm sorry Temperance, what I meant to say was that let me check a few things and I'll have the nurse give you several medications that will, most certainly, make you sleep," he translated for Brennan.

The stubborn anthropologist didn't move, but did respond very quickly, in her typical manner. "Ah, yes, thank you. I'd appreciate that very much," she said.

With that simple acknowledgement, Dr. Hawkins began to work on his patient. For the most part, Brennan tolerated the initial portions without major incident. The room was still spinning, but she was a quick learner and realized that as long as she held on to the bedrail, or Booth, she could maintain her composure. It was a different story, however, when he used the light to check her pupils. He worked quickly and as soon as he pulled the light away she spoke, "Can I. . ." she had to stop to take a deep breath, ". . . just have a minute?" She pinched her eyes shut and worked on calming her body to avoid throwing up.

Hawkins nodded and gave her a few seconds while he recorded a few things in her chart. He seemed to be skilled at disappearing from a room without actually changing his location. Booth, who had pushed back slightly while Hawkins worked, slid back up to Brennan.

"You okay Bones?" he asked. He pushed a few errant strands of hair out of her face and massaged her neck a little.

She took yet another cleansing breath, but it didn't help to relieve any of the undesirable sensations she was experiencing. She realized that she was just dragging this process out by trying to stay strong. Maybe she should just concede, give up, and just let those around her see her weakened. The problem was that she, Temperance Brennan, didn't know how to give up completely. In her mind she'd already gone too far by allowing Booth to help and by internally accepting his future help.

The stubborn anthropologist sighed and, if she had felt better, might have laughed at her quandary. She never would have postulated she would allow someone to help the way she allowed Booth to help. For some reason, he was different. He always had been. She allowed him to touch her, talk to her, and share with her in ways she'd never allowed a man before, not even lovers. After thinking for few more seconds, she decided to give in completely. If she threw up again, Booth wouldn't treat her differently. He was the only person, besides Angela, who didn't hold her weaknesses against her. Steeling herself, she gave her answer. "No, I'm not okay, but let's just finish so I can go to sleep," she said sharply. She couldn't clearly think about anything but sleep right now.

Hawkins must have been paying attention because he chose that moment to pull out his otoscope. "Temperance, I'm almost finished, but these next few tests are going to be the most uncomfortable for you," he explained.

Booth stifled the desire to become defensive and tell the doctor that if he hurt her, he'd just shoot him. He knew he wouldn't do these things unless he needed to in order to get to a final diagnosis and help her. If he did something stupid, Booth would make him pay, later, when Bones was better.

Booth looked at the object in Hawkins' hand and realized it wasn't like the gadget Cam had used earlier to check her ears or the ones Parker's pediatricians always used. He was preparing to ask when Hawkins began to explain on his own. "Temperance, this is a pressurized otoscope. There are a couple of possibilities as to the extent your injury and this will help me confirm or rule one out," he explained. "It's going to make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry."

Booth couldn't resist, he had to ask. "What does that little thing do?"

The doctor nodded and held the instrument up. "It will apply pressure to her middle ear. If air enters her inner ear, her eyes will begin to move involuntarily. It's called nystagmus," he directed his attention toward Booth. "Temperance, whatever you do, don't close your eyes while I do this," he gave her the instructions and informed her that he would start on her left ear, the one giving her less grief.

Brennan just nodded as the doctor explained the ever so simple task. "_A task," _she repeated in her mind. "_A task would be beneficial right now."_ It gave her something to focus on besides nausea and pain. That's how she functioned. Complete one task at a time and you will manage to make it through a situation. She often handled rougher situations than this by completing one task at a time.

Thankfully, Dr. Hawkins began with her left ear, the one less impacted by the whole situation. "That one looks slightly inflamed, but nothing major," he stated while using a typical otoscope to check the ear. "Now, let's check it with pressure," he didn't even wait for a response and grabbed the larger instrument. He inserted the offending instrument.

When he pressurized her ear, Brennan immediately felt waves of pain rush through her head, but she held strong and kept her eyes open. She instinctively pulled her right hand to her head in effort to stop the throbbing, but quickly found that to be ineffective.

Hawkins squinted at her eyes as he pressurized her ear. "Looks alright, your eyes didn't respond on that side. That's a good thing," he explained while continuing to work. "You okay to move forward?" he asked.

Brennan wanted to say no. Every one of the trillion cells in her body screamed for her to tell him to stop even though she knew it was irrational for cells to scream. They were only capable of biological processes such as protein synthesis and cellular respiration. They have no real emotions. She took a deep breath, exhaled loudly and spoke, "I'm fine, just do it."

Booth seized the moment, stood, and grabbed her hand. He knew that this would be bad. He looked at the skilled doctor, gave a simple nod, and was given one in return. Booth had to push down his alpha male thoughts and allow Hawkins to hurt his partner. He settled for rubbing small soothing circles on the portion of her back not in contact with the bed.

Booth wasn't a man of science, far from it actually, but it didn't take a scientist to determine that something was very wrong when the doctor performed the simple test. Before it even began, Brennan flinched as the doctor barely brushed the edge of her ear with the tip of the otoscope. She instinctively pulled away from the instrument.

As soon as Booth felt her body flinch at the motion he immediately moved his hand from her back and stroked her head. He smoothed her hair out of her face, and used his hooked index finger to gently stroke her cheek. It was an intimate act even to Booth. He figured if she didn't want it, she'd say so. The strong FBI Agent felt a shiver run down his spine as he touched her cheek. He had touched her face before, in times of stress, but never like this.

Brennan could feel the slight touch on her cheek, soothing her. She knew she should protest, say something to assert her independence and keep her walls from falling further, but at that point all logic had disappeared and she was merely concentrating on the task at hand – keeping her eyes open.

Her partner smoothed her hair and looked a Hawkins while giving him a tiny nod to continue. "Bones," he spoke softly. "It will be over soon; just keep your eyes open. You can do this."

Despite her nature, Temperance Brennan elected not to fight this time. Her cry became audible when the doctor pressurized her ear. She felt like someone used a laser to slice through the bones of her skull. The pain was piercing, unrelenting. She managed to steel herself, though, and held her eyes open. She completed her task.

As soon as Hawkins used the otoscope to pressurize the offending ear, Brennan's eyes began to jump. It was almost inaudible, but a pitiful moan managed to escape the steel walls. Seeley Booth was no doctor, but it didn't take 6 years beyond college to realize something was terribly, terribly wrong with his partner, his Bones. From his position sitting beside her, he had a good view of her face. Honestly, he always made sure he had a good view of her face. Her eyes were amazing-deep, mysterious, and beautiful. He always found it hard to stop looking at her eyes and today, that's what scared him. Normally, they were confident and full of life but at that very moment they were terrified and full of pain.

Booth felt helpless, he couldn't really help her. He stroked her hair and wiped the few tears she allowed to fall from her cheek as Hawkins removed the otoscope and began record a few things in her chart. As the doctor flipped it open he gave Booth a very telling look. He knew what was wrong and could explain it, but wanted to give her a little time to regain her composure.

Doing his best to calm Brennan, Booth spoke very softly. He helped her lie back onto the pillows. He was brushing some of her hair off her sweaty brow when Hawkins spoke again. "Temperance, I'm going to step out and give you a few minutes. I'll send Natalie back in now to get you more comfortable," he explained. "I'm going to send you to radiology but I'm fairly certain as to the problem," he patted her blanket covered thigh. "I'll be right back to go over everything with you."

Brennan wanted to respond, she wanted to tell the doctor to take his time, that she was fine, but she couldn't. All over her symptoms were now amplified 100 fold and she was sure she was likely to pass out from the pain, nausea, or both. Even the motion of a deep breath sent piercing pains through her ear. She could hear Booth's voice speaking softly to her, but she didn't have the mental capacity at the moment to decipher any meaning from his words. Honestly though, it really didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was there and he was talking to her. She wasn't sure how, but it helped. It was illogical but it made her comfortable.

Booth continued his soft and gentle motions in effort to help his partner. He wasn't sure if his words were helping, but he felt inclined to continue. He had to do something after all.

As he spoke, his thoughts were elsewhere. He wondered why this all happened. He believed that all things happened for a reason, but he couldn't understand why she was in so much pain and he walked away with just a mild headache. It didn't make sense to him and frankly, he felt guilty about the entire situation. '_I never should have let that damned door close,' _he thought. '_If I had done my job she wouldn't be in pain.'_ He removed his hands from her only briefly to run his fingers through his hair in frustration. His simple action was greeted by a wince from Brennan. She needed the contact right now and obviously notice his hands moved. He quickly resumed his position and waited.

It was only a few minutes later that Natalie entered and without speaking, inserted a syringe into Brennan's IV line. She tossed the used needle in the appropriate container and repeated the action with the second one. Finally, after tossing the second needle, she spoke. "Hawkins is on his way back in. They are going to send her down for a CT scan of the head pretty soon," she explained. "She may or may not be awake when he comes in so you may have to explain it later," she finished.

Booth just nodded. He really didn't want the responsibility of explaining matters of science to his super squinty partner, but he sure as hell wasn't going to wake her up if she drifted to sleep.

Natalie took his nod as permission to leave and began to walk out of the room. If she had been lost in thought or running on auto pilot, she would have taken a door to the face. Hawkins pushed the door open just as she was preparing to open it. She held it open for him and he walked passed, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

He resumed his position on the rolling stool near Brennan's left side. He didn't even need to open the chart. "Temperance?" he spoke questioningly, not sure if she was asleep or awake.

Shortly after the nurse pushed the miracle fluid into Brennan's IV, she began to feel some relief. Now, instead of feeling pain, she felt rather floaty. She could tell the pain was still there, but it was only a dull ache and she found it hard to determine the exact location. Almost like the morning after a strong headache when you could tell the pain had been present recently, but it wasn't actually there. With the relief, however, came drowsiness. She heard Hawkins call her name and knew that if she didn't pop her eyes open soon, she would fall asleep. She wasn't sure, though, if she would remember the conversation later. Honestly, she didn't care.

Hawkins saw her eyes open and began with his explanation. "Alright, Temperance," he began. "I'm certain beyond a reasonable doubt that you have a perilymph fistula," he gave his confident diagnosis and glanced at the super protective agent currently holding Brennan's hand.

As soon as he made eye contact, Booth had to make a comment. One that he thought he would never make. "I don't know what that means," he said dryly.

The skilled physician figured as much and was prepared to provide an answer. "Most likely, there is a hole in one of the two membranes that separate the inner and middle ear," he explained. "Fluid, called perilymph, from her inner ear is leaking back into her middle ear and that has caused the vertigo she is experiencing. Also, air is entering her inner ear," he finished and waited on either of them to question again.

Brennan had obviously given up caring about the diagnosis and decided to enjoy the medication. Booth didn't fully understand but knew the basic structure of the ear so he didn't question the problem. He went straight to the solution. "You can fix it now, right?" he spoke in his interrogation voice. It clearly wasn't the time, in his opinion, to beat around the bush.

Even though Booth's tone was slightly threatening, Hawkins didn't flinch. "It's not something that we can simply fix. It has to heal on its own," he paused briefly before moving on. "Some people never fully heal but I will do everything I can to get answers and help her heal," he spoke confidently. "First off, I have to see if the damage is only to the round window, oval window, or both. Based on her symptoms, I'd say she most likely has a tear in both of them," he continued. "Honestly, her symptoms are as severe as I've ever seen."

He paused briefly in anticipation questions or a challenge, but was only met by a strong exhale by Booth. "I need to send her down to radiology to make sure that she doesn't have a fractured middle ear bone that caused the fistula," he took his own deep breath. "If that's the case, we'll need to get her admitted to the main hospital and scheduled for an operation very soon."

Booth was scared, as scared as he could ever remember being. He could only manage to nod slightly at first but he took a few cleansing breaths and managed to ask a few simple questions. Hawkins explained what they would be looking for with the scans and that he had prescribed enough medication to keep her comfortable through all of the testing.

Once he was sure his Bones wouldn't be in pain for a few minutes, Booth asked the question that had been bothering him for a while. "Dr. Hawkins," his tone was no longer one of a confident FBI Agent but one of a scared husband. "Why did it . . ." he had to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "Why did it hurt her like this, but I'm fine?" he asked honestly. He needed to know.

Hawkins was thankful that he spent so much time studying sound waves. A typical doctor wouldn't be able to answer that question. "Agent Booth, sound waves are funny things. Resonance occurs when a new wave matches up to an objects natural frequency," he explained very effectively. "As best I can tell, her natural frequency was close enough to the incoming sound waves in the resonance chamber that resonance occurred. It's actually an interesting phenomenon. There have been reports of earthquakes where only buildings of certain heights were destroyed because the frequencies and amplitudes matched," he almost sounded a little too interested in the effect for Booth's tastes. "There is no way to know for sure, but most likely that occurred here. Pair that with the issues she has had with her allergies lately and it's not a good mix," he finished.

Booth was stunned. He didn't understand it. He just knew that because of a damned scientific principle, his partner was lying in a hospital bed and he was fine. It wasn't a fair concept. He managed to thank Hawkins for the explanation and force out another question. "When will they take her to radiology?"

Thankful that the agent accepted his answer, Hawkins stood to leave. "They should be here within a few minutes. She's going to need to stay for several hours regardless of what the scans show," he looked at his watch. "I'll be back shortly after lunch and if there is no damage to the bones, I'll release her then. The next couple of weeks aren't going to be pleasant no matter what the tests show," he finished.

Booth stood, shook the doctor's hand, and sat on the edge of her bed before pulling out his cell phone. He needed to tell Angela and Cam what was going on. He even considered calling Max, but thought he better get his partner's approval first. She was weak but still resourceful and he didn't want to fall victim to her rage.

Before dialing the number, he wiped an errant strand of hair out of her eyes and looked at his sleeping partner. "Bones," he spoke softly, sure she couldn't hear him. "I'm so sorry Bones but I promise I will get you through this. Just let me help you, please," he pled. He leaned over, placed a simple kiss on her forehead, and took his seat beside her. He needed to make those phone calls and hoped he could finish while they waited on the staff to come and take her to radiology.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Again sorry for the delay. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. I got all wrapped up in the Twones on Twitter all summer and now I hope I actually have some time to devote to updating stories. I really appreciate each and every review and thank you so much for hanging in there with me. As always, I promise you that I will finish my stories. It may take me a while, but I'll get it done. **

**As always, please continue to review and let me know what you think. I hope this chapter is what you all expected. Please let me know if you have suggestions or concerns that I need to address.**

**Thank you so much to MickeyBoggs for her proofing skills and ScienceGeek2587 and Stef Junkiecat for letting me bounce ideas off of you. You guys are great.**

**FYI - If you missed it, I updated Regaining Her Footing the other day. Thanks for all the reviews for that fic as well.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

Disclaimer - I am not associated with the television show "Bones" in any way. Just a huge fan.

Chapter 7

Seeley Booth let out a big sigh as he walked out of his partner's bedroom. '_I wish it were under different circumstances,' _he thought to himself. He plopped ungracefully onto her couch and flipped on her newly acquired television. She'd broken down and gotten one when he began spending so much time at her place. They'd almost always end up at one place or the other after every case. He figured she got tired of spending so much time at his place watching football that she bought a bigger TV to entice him to her house.

He realized at that moment that'd he'd been functioning in a haze for the past few hours. He glanced out the window and noted that the sun was beginning to set and the city lights were popping on one by one. The time had recently changed and when Booth remembered that, he glanced down at his watch. 7:15 pm. He hadn't slept in over 36 hours and as much as he hated to admit it, he was exhausted. He flipped through the channels aimlessly. His mind was anywhere but on the game he finally settled upon. His thoughts drifted to the events of the past two days.

*****************

Soon after Dr. Hawkins did his initial workup, the nurse gave Brennan several medications. He didn't know all of the names of all the medication but he did know that she wasn't in pain anymore after that. Heck, she was barely even conscious. They gave her valium, some kind of anti-inflammatory, and anti-nausea meds. After all of the medication was pushed into her IV, she didn't say much. He recalled how her face changed once she received the much needed medication. Her brow was no longer scrunched up from the obvious pain and her facial muscles relaxed completely. Only when he noticed that her breathing was more patterned and less labored did he begin to relax.

After about 20 minutes of waiting, a different person, one from the lab, entered her room. The young gentleman introduced himself quickly to Booth and then directed his attention to Brennan. "She's out of it?" he said questioningly.

Booth shot the young man a 'wake her and you die' look before answering. "Yes, and let's keep her that way."

"Yes sir," he said. "I am just going to draw a blood sample from her IV line and then I'll need your help with another sample.

Booth took his eyes off of her for just a split second at those words. "My help," he questioned. "Why on earth would you need my help? Bones is the science person." Honestly, he didn't mind helping, but it made him nervous. She was fragile, weak and this whole situation was his fault. He couldn't help a medical professional with her care. Making her a banana split he could do but helping with a medical test no.

The man just nodded, he understood. He had a girlfriend. "I get it, man, but it's not a big deal. I'm just going to ask you to hold her head while I get a swab of her ear," he explained even as he extracted some blood from the IV line snaking from the anthropologist's small and currently fragile looking body.

In effort to rid himself of the lump still forming in his throat, Booth took a large gulp. He didn't like the idea of this guy, whoever the hell he was, getting anywhere near his Bones' ear. "You 100 percent sure that is necessary?" he said in his interrogation voice.

The technician took a big gulp of his own. He wasn't quite sure who this guy was, but it didn't matter, he was scary. "Hawkins wants the lab to run a check on the fluid. They just developed a test to detect perilymph. It's the fluid in the inner ear. Before, they couldn't distinguish between spinal fluid and perilymph," he explained. "At least this way, we can make sure that fluid from her brain isn't leaking back into her ear."

"Ah," was all Booth could manage to utter. The thought of something being wrong with her brain scared him more than all of the times he'd been held captive, all the times he'd been fired upon, and all the times he stood eye to eye with murders. "Just let me know," he croaked out.

After the technician filled a few vials with the blood, he took out a swab. "Alright, we need to get her onto her side and then I'll let you hold her while I get the sample," he presented his plan to the agent.

Again, Booth just nodded. He stood and used a crooked finger to gently stroke his partner's face. "Bones," he spoke softly. "Bones, can you wake up and roll onto your side?" he hoped she would stir without much prodding.

In just a few seconds, he knew she wouldn't. '_Guess they gave her the good stuff,' _he laughed internally. He reflected back to the few times he'd seen her drunk or even that time he saw her high on meth. Her inhibitions were completely gone during those rare occasions. She became just like a giddy teenager.

The technician broke the silence first. He almost felt like an intruder for stopping such an intimate act, but he had a job to do. "She's probably not going to stir," he said. "They gave her a lot of medicine." He motioned for Booth to help him roll her onto her left side.

Once she was into position he spoke again. "Alright, just hold her head tightly. She's out of it, but if this hurts her, she may jerk. I don't want to do any more damage if she jumps," he warned.

Booth took the warning very seriously. In his opinion, he'd done enough damage for one day. He's allowed her to get hurt and it wouldn't happen again even if it killed him. He leaned down next to her and pulled her head close to his chest. It probably wasn't a requirement but he put his own head against hers as he cradled her head in his arms.

It was the most amazing feeling he'd ever had. He could smell her hair. He couldn't resist. He placed a small and gentle kiss on her head and then lifted his eyes up enough to give the technician a nod of approval to start.

Booth held his breath as the younger man inserted the swab into her ear. Even through sleep, Brennan jumped and Booth could feel her muscles tense. "Shhh, Bones, it's okay. I've got you. It'll be over soon," he whispered. "You'll be bossing me around again soon. Just be still. Almost done." He placed another kiss on her head and continued to whisper softly.

In just a few more seconds, the tech was finished and placed the swab into the tube. "All done," he said as he stood. "Looks like radiology should be up to get her soon." He quickly gathered his things and exited the darkened hospital room.

"Yeah, sure, thanks," Booth said but never took his eyes off of Brennan. He rubbed a few errant strands of hair off of her face and took her hand into his own. It felt cold, too cold. He propped his elbows onto her hospital bed and rubbed her hand with his thumbs perfectly content to watch her face for any indication of pain while she slept.

Booth didn't concern himself with time for the next few minutes. He barely even noticed when the two radiology team members came in and pulled the still-sleeping Brennan's chart. Despite Booth's request and even attempts to intimidate them, he was instructed to go get a cup of coffee and wait for her to be brought back. They assured him they would take good care of her, but he knew that no one would take care of her the way he could.

He felt lost when they rolled her out. He knew it had to happen, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He let out an audible sigh and ran his long fingers through his hair. He was tired but he was restless. This was not the place he wanted to be at 9 in the morning. He needed to be buying Bones pancakes and bugging her about eating some of his bacon or pie.

He collected his thoughts and emotions and pulled out his cell phone. He needed to touch base with Cam and let Angela know what was going on. He also needed to call his own office and let them know why he wasn't there and that he wouldn't be in for a few days. He had more than enough vacation and sick time. He planned on taking as much as she needed him to take. She was more important.

He figured he'd have to shower at some point. Maybe he should call Wendell and see if he could bring a change of clothes to Bones' place. '_Nah, I'll just see if Angela or Cam can stay with her. I'm not leaving her alone for quite a while. I'll need to pack a bag,'_ he established a plan in this head. It'd be easier to argue with his stubborn partner if he had a plan. She was like storming Russia just before winter if you didn't have a plan – always led to certain death.

The next 45 minutes were spent with Booth waiting and Brennan getting a CT scan. He managed to call Angela and Cam as well as work. Angela was a little distraught but he convinced her that she wasn't needed at the moment. She did, however, agree to come over when they got home and sit with Brennan so that Booth could take care of a few things.

Finally, they brought Brennan back into the hospital room. Her face was no longer peaceful. It was once again furrowed with pain. The staff members that brought her back in repositioned her bed and clicked it into place. The click caused the fitfully sleeping anthropologist to open her eyes.

Booth wasn't sure what the look in her eyes right now was, but he didn't like it. It seemed to be a mixture of fear, pain, and frustration. "Hey," he said very softly as he lowered the side rail of her bed. It was inhibiting his ability to touch her. "How do you feel?"

"Ugh," she grunted out as she shifted slightly in the bed. "Like crock." It was quite hard for her to form a coherent sentence at the moment.

Booth would have laughed hysterically if they had been under different circumstances. He'd have found much pleasure in letting her know that she meant 'like crap,' but he let her have this one.

"Bones, I'm so sorry," he tenderly rubbed her forearm. "What can I do for you?" He almost begged. He needed to do something.

"I'd ask you to cut my ear off," she said weakly. "But that seems to be quite irrational even though I am quite miserable.

Booth continued to rub her arm, but decided to see if she was up to a little humor. "What? Is the completely rational Temperance Brennan being melodramatic?" he teased.

She pinched her eyes shut either from discomfort or embarrassment. "I am not irrational. My thoughts are just muggled," she tried to be sharp but failed miserably.

"Aww, Bones, I'm so sorry," he said as he rubbed her hair gently. "I think you mean muddled, but that doesn't really matter."

Despite the pain, the stubborn Temperance Brennan managed to roll her eyes at her infuriating partner. They both managed a simple little laugh before Booth spoke again. "Can I get anything for you?"

Before she could even muster the energy to think of an answer much less vocalize one, the nurse entered the room. She knocked softly at the open door before entering. "Hawkins is on his way back up now," she directed her attention to Booth. "Temperance, you need to try to drink something. We need to see if you can keep anything down. Do you have a preference?" she asked.

Brennan took in a deep breath before answering. "Not really, but preferably something that doesn't taste horrible during regurgitation," she sounded defeated when she spoke.

Natalie just laughed and Booth flashed his partner a simple smile. "Aww, Bones, you shouldn't be making jokes in your currently weakened state," he knew those words would get a rise out of his partner even if she was hurt.

"Shut up, Booth!" was the only response that seemed appropriate enough for the situation.

Booth just laughed and grabbed her hand instinctively, wrapping it in his own two larger ones. Brennan noticed the gesture and took it as the opportunity to succumb to the still present, but dulled pain. She closed her eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

Booth found himself staring at his partner. '_God she's beautiful,' _he thought to himself as he once again held her hands close to his face. Her skin. . . he loved touching her skin. It was almost like those porcelain pieces his grandmother's house was full of. They looked so white and delicate and you were never allowed to touch them. The curiosity always ate at him. He wanted to touch them more than anything. Finally now, he was getting to touch that which was forbidden and he loved it. The problem was that he wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to give it up.

He snapped out of his reverie when Dr. Hawkins walked back into the room. Booth couldn't tell if he knocked or not. He was busy with other things.

Hawkins didn't delay. He pulled up the rolling stool and flipped open her chart. "She's still sleeping?" he asked the healthy partner.

"Off and on. She's still uncomfortable," Booth said inwardly hoping that would prompt a higher dosage of something for her.

"That's understandable. She's got a rough road ahead of her. You prepared to help her out?" Hawkins spoke succinctly to Booth.

"Whoa," Booth's tone changed. "I'd love to help her but I'm not sure of how accepting she's going to be of help from me or anyone else once she can stand up straight again," he fussed.

The skilled physician shot Booth an understanding glance before shifting his attention to Brennan. "She's not going to have a choice. She doesn't follow orders she could lose her hearing or be permanently disabled. She's going to need help. Cam told me how stubborn she is," he was very clear in his seriousness. "She's going to have to let some things go and focus on healing or she will never be the same. I can't even promise that she'll even get back to 100 percent if she does everything that I instruct anyway."

Booth tried to wrap his mind around the news he just heard. The words healing, never, and disabled echoed through his mind like gunshots during an intense battle. He nodded like a small child before speaking. "I'll make sure she's alright," he said over the lump once again forming in his throat.

"Good," Hawkins said. "Now, you think you could wake her so that I can go over everything with both of you?"

Booth again used his fingers to lift his partner's chin slightly in effort to wake her. She cracked open an eye in response. "Hey," she said very weakly and Booth knew she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.

"Temperance," the use of her birth name conveyed the seriousness of the situation. "Hawkins is here and wants to go over a few things with both of us."

The next half hour was filled with scientific words and test results. The CT Scan showed that there were no broken bones in the middle ear and that the resonance in the chamber hadn't damaged any of the fragile bones surrounding her amazing brain. The diagnosis – a perilymph fistula. When Hawkins said the words, Brennan closed her eyes, completely discouraged. Booth, however didn't understand.

Hawkins saw the confusion and elaborated. "There are two membranes that separate the inner ear, which is a source of balance, and the middle ear. Sometimes, severe trauma or infection of one or both of those membranes can rupture. That causes fluid from the inner ear to leak back into the middle ear. In Temperance's case, her tympanic membrane ruptured as well causing blood and fluid to leak into the outer ear," the explanation was almost too much for Booth to handle. "I ordered a hearing test while she was out for her CT Scan and her hearing in the right ear is drastically impaired at the moment."

That part of the diagnosis scared both Brennan and Booth more than any of the other news. She needed her hearing. She was a scientist and observation was what she did. She needed all 5 of her senses to do her job.

Hawkins saw the downtrodden faces but decided to move forward in the discussion. "There is a surgery that I can do to repair the membranes but it is very risky and often results in damage to the auditory nerve," he took a breath as he saw the partners taking in the information. "I'd like to try a conservative approach at treatment for the next week to see if you improve, Temperance."

"What does that entail," she asked.

Hawkins nodded and handed both partners an information sheet. "Complete bed rest for at least a week, maybe longer. No straining, no lifting, no spicy foods, no allergy inducing plants, several medications, and no loud noises."

Brennan closed her eyes and fought the tears. This was not good news. She hadn't felt this weakened or vulnerable since she was a teenager in foster care. At that time, she was a prisoner to an unfair system and now she was a prisoner to her own body.

Hawkins continued through the course of treatment and medications. Brennan would be forced to stay in bed with her head elevated at a 30 to 45 degree angle at all times to prevent any pressure from impacting her ear. She would be taking valium, antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, a diuretic, and would be have to have transtympanic steroid injections daily. He had arranged for Cam to come by each evening to give the injections. It wasn't worth forcing Brennan to make the trip to the hospital each day when Dr. Saroyan was more than qualified and willing to administer.

"Ummm," a very shaken Booth tried to gather words. "You are going to give us all of this in written form, right?" He was stammering as he spoke. "I. . .I'm not sure I can remember . . . everything."

Hawkins reassured the normally confident agent. "Absolutely. I'm going to call a medical supply company and have them go ahead and prep everything for you. You are going to need a specialized wedge for her mattress and couch to keep her elevated."

Brennan was staring in the opposite direction of the two males. She was attempting to process and compartmentalize. She felt useless now. She must be a burden to her partner. The problem was, she didn't have a choice. She obviously couldn't walk out of here alone. She could call her father but she didn't trust him. She could call Angela but she didn't want to burden her. Honestly, the only person she trusted to care for her was Booth. She just wanted Booth.

After a few minutes passed, Hawkins felt like the pair had ample time to process the presented information. "Temperance, I'll release you on evening rounds if you can keep down food. Just light things, but I need to make sure you won't dehydrate."

Brennan just nodded and Hawkins patted her leg. "Do your best to rest. Let this guy do all the work," he motioned toward Booth. "I'd recommend that you see if there is someone else that could sit with her while you take care of getting her home ready, Agent Booth."

Booth was thankful to have a set of instructions even though it would mean leaving her with someone else for a while. "Sure. Bones, you want me to call your dad or Angela?" he asked.

She didn't even open her eyes when she answered. "Angela, please – if she can get away from work," she requested.

"I'm sure she can," he responded.

Hawkins gave them further instructions about follow up appointments and precautions and then took his leave. It was obvious that she would be well taken care of. He just hoped that she would be one of the few people to fully recover from an injury like this.

Booth called Angela and she said she would be there momentarily. The nurse entered within minutes carrying a can of ginger ale and a small container of frozen juice for Brennan to consume. She sat both containers on the roller tray. "Temperance, I'm going to raise your bed slightly. Do your best to finish these and then you can rest," she was compassionate as she spoke.

Brennan managed to finish the ginger ale and stomach half of the frozen juice before becoming completely exhausted. "Booth," she said. "Could you lower the bed and help me with that extra pillow?"

"Sure Bones." He immediately stood, fluffed the pillow, and helped her to position it behind her head. He was just taking her hand back into his own when Angela walked into the room.

"Hey," she said and she walked directly to Brennan and gave her a soft hug.

Booth didn't waste any time. "I'm going to go and take care of a few things," he stood again. "Bones, you'll be okay?" He couldn't help but be concerned about leaving her.

Angela answered for her friend. "We'll be fine. Just get back in time to eat Bren's pudding," she joked.

He nodded, placed a kiss on his partner's forehead and left.

*****************

The first stop Booth made was to his apartment. There, he packed a bag with several days' worth of clothing and packed his toiletries. Bones smelled great but he didn't want to risk smelling like rose petals and lavender for the foreseeable future.

After his apartment he headed to the medical supply store Hawkins had mentioned. He was confused, but the owner was very helpful and gave him everything he would need included foam wedges to fit both the bed and the couch.

From there, it was off to the pharmacy and the grocery store to make sure that he could feed her adequately. He resisted the temptation to pick up the junk food he loved so much. If she couldn't eat it, he shouldn't. He made a vow to eat only the things that she could handle. It was the least he could do for her.

It seemed like only 30 minutes but Booth walked into her apartment almost 3 hours after leaving the hospital. It was now approaching 2 pm and he set out to work. After unloading the groceries, he stripped the sheets from her bed and entered what he considered to be the inner sanctum – a woman's laundry room. He turned on the washing machine and added the detergent.

Inwardly, Booth prayed that the sheets would be a full load by themselves. He stuffed them into the washer and audibly cursed, "Dammit!" There was too much room left in the cursed appliance.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for battle and flipped open the lid to her hamper. "Oh god," he uttered when he noticed that the top two items were a very lacey, pale blue bra and panty set. Booth thoughts automatically began to wander. '_Dammit Seeley, quit imagining what she . . . I'll bet she wore that under that little wrap dress she wore the other day. . . This is not helping, focus man!'_ he fought the internal battle to control his thoughts.

He took a deep breath, reached into the hamper, grabbed the clothes and quickly tossed them into the drum of the washer. He slammed the washer shut and did the same to the hamper. He had to lean against the appliance and give himself a few seconds to clear his mind before embarking on his remaining tasks.

He managed the remaining tasks very easily. He looked at the list Hawkins provided and made sure all the possible offending items were removed including air fresheners, flowers, and potpourri. He was thankful that she wasn't a nut about her house smelling like a flower. He would have had much more to throw out if she was.

He finished up by dusting her entire apartment and replacing the sheets on the bed. He situated the foam wedges on both the couch and bed and sat of the edge of the bed. He hated doing this. He hated that she was weak and couldn't do it for herself. He hated that she needed him and didn't have a choice in the matter. He hoped that even if she did have a choice that she would still choose him. He knew he'd pick her. Of all the beautiful, intelligent women he'd dated, she was far superior and he'd never even gone on a single date with her. He wanted to and made a vow that when the time was right, he would.

*****************

Now sitting on her couch waiting on Angela to help her change almost 4 hours after he exited her apartment, he was exhausted and drained. He knew, however, that any discomfort he felt paled in comparison to what his partner was going through.

She'd done well at the hospital and all of the medication seemed to be enough to help her keep down everything she ate and drank. By the time he arrived back at the hospital, she was resting comfortably after receiving another dose of valium.

Hawkins checked in around 5:30 and released Brennan.

They went straight back to her apartment, a delivery of bland Chinese soups not far behind. Brennan managed to walk into her apartment without incident. Booth's arm never left her waist and the alpha male was completely prepared to scoop her up if she bobbled at all. He was thankful, however, that she managed on her own. She needed to feel like she wasn't helpless and he knew it.

Brennan lay on the couch while Booth and Angela poured the soup into bowls. The trio ate in companionable silence. When they finished, Booth noticed that Brennan seemed to be nodding off and spoke. "Bones, you ready to get in the bed?"

She opened her heavy eyelids and answered, "No, I think I'd like to get a shower first."

Booth once again had to control his thoughts. _'I will not think about her in the shower or the bra and panties she has on right now,' _he argued with his testosterone laden emotions. _'Dammit Seeley, you thought about her panties. Snap out of it.'_ He was pretty sure that Brennan didn't notice the change in his demeanor but was positive her best friend did. "Ummm, sure Bones," he stammered. "I'm . . . sure Angela could help you with that. Let's get you up."

He'd helped the ladies into the bathroom and then made his way back to the couch where he waited.

Angela emerged from the bedroom and plopped onto the couch beside him. "She's in bed," she said with a sigh. "Booth, is she going to be okay?" she asked while biting back the tears. "I've never seen her like this Booth. It's like there isn't any fight in her."

Booth placed a comforting hand on her forearm. "Ange, I will do everything in my power to make sure she is okay," he was firm in his tone. "I will not let her give up. Besides, she's Temperance Brennan. She'll be trying to flip me on my back in a few days."

Angela giggled slightly and stood to leave. "Thanks, Booth. Get some rest. You look like hell."

Booth shook his head. "Aww. Thanks Angela. I appreciate the kind words," he joked as he walked her to the door. He gave her a gentle hug of thanks and comfort as she exited and he locked the door behind her.

He'd been sitting on the couch for 20 minutes when he heard the very weak call. "Booth?" she said one time and he practically leapt over the coffee table to be at her side.

"Yeah, Bones," he sounded like a muttering idiot. "What do you need?"

She seemed to be partially sleeping but still managed to speak. "Do you think you could get the heating pad for me?" she asked as if it would be a major inconvenience.

He smiled at the girl-like way she sounded. "Sure, Bones. Be right back."

He walked back into the kitchen, collected the heating pad and situated it on top of her pillow. As he was walking back out of the room, he heard the small voice one more time. "Booth?"

"Bones, you need to get some rest," he said. "Just try to settle down and rest. It'll make you feel better."

She took a deep breath but it wasn't one of pain. It was something different. Something he didn't recognize. "I know Booth, but. . ." she took another breath. "Would you stay, I mean if you don't mind?"

A small smile formed on his face, one of the few smiles that day. "Sure, Bones. I'll stay as long as you want," he happily replied. He clicked off the light, grabbed a throw blanket, and climbed onto the bed beside his partner.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - Alright guys, sorry yet again for the delay in getting this up. I struggle with creativity and ideas. I'm going to try and be more regular with updates. I hope people are still interested in reading this. As I have said before, I will finish all of my stories. It just may take a little while. **

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews and PMs on this story. I really enjoy reading what everyone has to say about my writing. I'm slightly OCD about it so it's nice to get feedback. **

**This chapter is a little bit shorter than the other ones in this fic, but I hope you still enjoy it. It's a bit of filler. Sometimes you just have to have something to get you from point A to point B. I just hope it's still a decent read.**

**If you haven't read the new fic I put up, The Day After, give it a try. It's a little fun, Max meet Hank fic. I only have one chapter left to go on it.**

**Thanks to MickeyBoggs, Thnx4theGum and StefJunkieCat for their feedback and proofing skills on this and all my other chapters. You ladies make sure I don't publish junk and I appreciate that.**

**Please continue to review and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a great holiday!**

Disclaimer - I do not own Bones.

Chapter 8

Despite the gravity of their situation, the night was fairly quiet for both Booth and Brennan. The medications had done an adequate job of completely knocking the ailing anthropologist out. She barely moved and only emitted a slight moan from time to time.

Of course, as any good sniper would, Booth woke at every moan. He actually woke at every deep breath he took. He was exhausted but didn't care. If she hurt at all, he would do whatever it took to stop it.

Around 3 am, he woke to the beeping of his watch. He hadn't taken that much time to organize all of her medications on a schedule but he did know that she would need to take pain medication at 3:30. The shrill noise of his watch was obnoxious but he didn't mind. If he didn't get the medicine for her, she'd wake up and be in pain. He'd take a little inconvenience over her pain any day.

He hauled himself up out of bed and headed into the kitchen. He rifled through the sack of medication he'd picked up earlier. He must have been in some kind of a stupor for most of the previous day because a flood of emotions moved through his veins as he touched all of the medications his partner would now be taking. He would be responsible for making sure she took them. He would be the one who would make sure she got better. The problem was he couldn't be sure that she would. Heck, he didn't even really understand what was wrong with her. He understood that her hearing was messed up but she would be okay with slightly reduced hearing. It was the other things about her injury that scared him, the '_or be permanently disabled'_ part. He looked at the brochure Dr. Hawkins gave him before he left and made a mental note to read it in detail when it wasn't the middle of the night.

He glanced at the pill bottles one more time in an effort to focus on the task at hand. He found what he needed, her pain meds. He placed two of the pills into his palm and grabbed a cold ginger ale out of the refrigerator. He made his way back into the bedroom and worked on waking up his partner. "Bones," he said softly. "You need to wake up and take this medicine," he brushed some hair off her face as he spoke.

"Hmmm," she said quietly as she attempted to muster the energy to open her eyes.

He let a small smile make its way to his lips at her lack of desire to wake up. "Bones, come on. . . you gotta wake up so you can go back to sleep," he said.

That did it. Even in her drug induced, sleepy haze, her very nature couldn't resist the opportunity to pounce on an illogical statement. "Booth, that makes no sense. I was sleeping just fine and I don't have to wake up to go back to sleep," she fussed. Her voice was obviously different and the spark that was normally there during correction was gone, but she was still there, still Bones.

"That's my Bones," he said as he handed her the two pills and popped the top of the ginger ale.

She placed the pills in her mouth, accepted the straw he placed in the drink, and took a large swallow. She was thankful that he stomach didn't rebel and after just a few seconds she focused on her partner. "Thanks, Booth," she said.

"Not a problem, Bones," he replied. "How do you feel?" he asked since she seemed to at least remember who she was.

She closed her eyes for a split second as if to take an inventory. "I'm not sure," she began. "Better than I was earlier, I'm sure but I lack the energy to move," she finished.

He gave her a compassionate smile and knew she wanted to get back to sleep. "Are you comfortable enough?" he asked. "Need another pillow or blanket or anything?" he went on.

"I'm fine," she answered.

Booth just rolled his eyes at the prepackaged response he received. "Go back to sleep, Bones," he said. "I'll be here when you wake up."

She didn't even respond, she just closed her eyes and let the fuzzy haze drag her back down.

Once he saw that she was fine, at least for the time being, he climbed back on the bed beside her and allowed himself to fall back into a tentative sleep.

*****

Seeley Booth would never admit it, but he was a morning person. Attempting to sleep beyond 7 am was a task that he could not complete. At 6:48, right on schedule, his eyes popped open. He immediately sat up and checked on his partner. Once he discovered that she was still sleeping and her forehead was smooth, not crinkled in pain, he climbed out of the bed. He quickly headed into the bathroom and showered.

He finished in a short 20 minutes and made his way back into Brennan's bedroom. He changed the direction of her blinds to prevent any additional light from entering, pulled the covers over her body and studied her face for any signs of discomfort.

She was still pale, too pale for his liking, but she was sleeping soundly. He checked the clock another time. He'd given her some pain medicine at 3:30 so it would be 2 hours before she was due another dose. He decided to go ahead and head into the kitchen. He had a few things to work through.

He sat at her counter and emptied the contents of the pharmacy sack onto the counter. He became discouraged as soon as he realized the number or prescriptions his 'never sick' partner would now be taking. He sighed and ran his palm over his face. It would be a task to make sure she received everything she needed when she needed it. He wouldn't let anything slide by on this one. Her health was more important than anything at the moment.

'_Alright, Seeley man . . . where to start, where to start,' _he mumbled to himself. Glancing at the prescription bottles one more time, he realized he would need a notebook. He needed to get a schedule mapped out to keep things straight.

He looked through several of her drawers and located a partially used spiral notebook and pen. He flipped through the notebook and smiled as he noticed the various grocery lists, phone numbers, and appointment times on the first few pages. Sometimes, his partner was mysterious and complicated and sometimes she was completely typical and predictable.

He sat back down on the stool and went to work. He pulled out the first prescription bottle and read the label, Diazepam. He read on, 'to be used to treat the neurovegatative symptoms associated with vertigo.' He hated reading that. He didn't even know what it meant but he was sure he didn't' want Brennan dealing with it at all. He wrote the name of the drug on the paper and finished reading the label, 'take 2 tablets every 6 hours as needed.' He looked at his watch. It was now almost 8. He'd give her that when he tried to get her to eat some breakfast.

He moved on to the next pill bottle. It was the pain medication, Vicodin to be exact, that he'd given her overnight. It was, just as the previous one, to be taken every 6 hours as needed so he added it to the table. He worked his way through each of the medications, Phenergan for nausea, Clarinex for allergies and congestion. He paused for a second. '_Why the hell does she need allergy medication?' _he thought to himself. It dawned on him at that very moment that he really didn't understand what was wrong with his partner and was going to have to read the booklet he'd only glanced at earlier.

He finished writing the remaining three medications on his log sheet. He pretty much understood the anti-inflammatory, he'd had it before, and the next medication was a vial and a few syringes. Dr. Hawkins had explained that she would need to receive an injection of transtympanic steroids every day to try and stimulate healing. Normally, they'd have the patient come in each day but Cam had agreed to come each evening and give the injection. '_It's nice to have smart friends,' _he thought to himself.

The last prescription quite possibly disturbed him the most even though it wasn't a steroid, narcotic, or injection. It was a stool softener. "What the hell?" he said aloud and then regretted that he might have even said it loudly enough to wake up the sleeping Brennan in the other room. He sighed, very loudly. _'Why the heck does she need stool softeners?'_ he thought to himself.

He recalled the conversations about feces they'd had on several occasions. He didn't like talking about anything that left the body at any point in time. It was not a comfortable topic for him. He swallowed his pride and scribbled the medication name on the paper quickly and dropped the pen as if it was some kind of hazardous chemical. At least now, the list was complete and he could move on with the day. '_Move on,'_ he rolled his eyes at his own thoughts. '_Good analogy, Seeley,'_ he thought to himself.

With the medication schedule complete, he picked up the booklet and began to read. He'd never even heard of a perilymph fistula before. For all he knew, fistula was a word you could get in trouble for saying in Catholic School. As he read on, he quickly learned that a fistula was a hole that developed anywhere it a hole wasn't meant to be.

Once he had learned his vocabulary word of the day, he skipped ahead a few paragraphs to the specifics on his partner's injury. He understood that the problem was a hole between her inner and middle ear. He knew that hearing loss was a possibility but it wasn't until that moment that he discovered that it was actually the least of her worries. This damned small hole, probably the size of a pin head, could leave her, his Bones, his partner, permanently disabled. Some people never recovered, not even after surgery.

He kept reading and did not like what he learned. She could be forced to deal with permanent bouts of nausea and dizziness for the rest of her life. She might never be able to lift things that weigh more than 10 pounds ever again. She might always experience fatigue, headaches, and struggle with lack of concentration and focus. That part disturbed him the most. He'd love her regardless of what condition she was in. For all he cared, he'd be perfectly content with lying on the couch with her for the rest of his life. _'It wouldn't be a bad thing, would it?' _he thought to himself and then sighed. He might enjoy being lazy but knew it would destroy her. She thrived on being productive. It was what she loved. He would hate for anything to ever take away her passion, her drive.

He knew that despite his desire, he couldn't fix her. He'd just have to be there for her, make sure she followed every doctor's order exactly, and help her through this. He had to make sure that no matter what happened, she'd know that he loved her. '_Love her,' _he thought to himself. _'I love her, I love Dr. Temperance Brennan,' _he took a deep breath. For some reason, the simple admission to himself took such a load off his heart. It was the first step toward what he wanted.

He snapped out of his reverie and checked his watch. It was now 8:45. It'd be time for her medicine soon. He was surprised when, at that very moment, he heard a very simple voice coming from the back of the apartment. "Booth," was all it took for him to be on his feet and headed to his partner.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – Alright guys, sorry for the HUGE delay with this story. Time kind of got away from me but I'm done teaching for the summer and so I am a stay at home mom at the moment. I'm hoping to get a couple of updates up a week between the 3 in progress stories I have going right now. It's my goal to finish this story and Regaining Her Footing this summer. That being said, I hope I still have a few readers left out there. I really appreciate all of the comments, reviews, and messages on this story. I really do enjoy writing it. **

**This chapter is a little bit of filler and it was a struggle for me to get it written. I hope it's still enjoyable. I struggled to find some direction even though I know where the story is going, the getting there was the hard part. I hope you guys will continue to let me know what you think even if you hate it.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs, JunkieCat, and Thnx4theGum for the help and to MickeyBoggs for the editing. You ladies are great.**

_Disclaimer – I do not own Bones._

Chapter 9

Temperance Brennan woke up in a fuzzy haze. She had a hard time pulling herself from sleep and establishing that she was, in fact still, a living entity. Once she managed to open her eyes and allowed her pupils to adjust to the light that was trickling into the room, she realized that it was most likely morning. She wasn't sure which morning it was, however. She could be thankful that she had at least survived the trip to the emergency room even though she couldn't be sure of how long ago that was.

She mentally cataloged her situation and realized that she didn't really feel pain, nausea, or discomfort. '_I must be quite heavily medicated,' _she thought to herself before realizing that thinking too much was not a good thing given her current condition. She realized that even though she didn't feel sick, she was dizzy, and didn't consider movement as an appealing option at the moment. She was content, that she was at least deemed healthy enough to be in her apartment and not some hospital ward.

She wasn't sure if she could really recall any details from her time since the hospital. She vaguely remembered Booth bringing her home and handing her pills. She could vividly remember the awful pain and sickness she had felt after leaving the bar two nights before. She did not want a repeat of that experience so she opted to stay as still as possible despite her increasing desire for something to drink. Her mouth and throat were extremely dry, probably the result of medication and the lingering effects of her vomiting.

Even though she had learned so much and had come so far in the past few years, her years working with Booth, her abandonment issues still had a strong hold on her emotions. She automatically assumed that she would be alone in her apartment, left to care for herself. She couldn't help but feel lonely as she recalled all of the flus, injuries, and disappointments she was left to go through on her own. As she was lost in her own little pity party, she heard, or thought she heard through her still muffled hearing and ringing ears, a faint sound coming from her living room. She wasn't sure what it was and lacked the energy or motivation to move to investigate. She did the one thing she could think of and called to the one person in the world she thought might care enough to stay. "Booth," she said with as much strength as she could muster. She wasn't sure if he was there but she really hoped he was.

It was against his very nature but the frantic man did his best not to knock down her bedroom door. Seeley Booth was most certainly a man of action and had what many would deem a 'savior complex.' He had to remind himself that his partner didn't need saving this time – a glass of water, maybe, but not saving.

He gently opened the door to her bedroom and made a conscious effort to speak in a very soft, very controlled manner as he said, "Bones, are you okay?"

She fell silent for a moment. She wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was her medicated state, maybe it was the simple fact that he had stayed. Nobody had ever stayed for her before. It was quite confusing to her that her partner would stay for her. He was supposed to have work. She hated that he felt forced to give up his obligations to stay with her. She could probably manage on her own. Walking would be questionable at the moment but if she just stayed in bed things would probably go smoothly.

It disturbed Booth that she hadn't responded quickly and was simply staring at him with a set of very confused, very troubled eyes. "Bones," he asked again and took a few steps toward her and sat very softly on her bed.

Brennan didn't answer his question about her well being immediately. She did however give him a very slight acknowledgment in the form of a simple, "Hey."

He gave her the best smile he could muster through his worry. "Hey yourself. How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly certain at the moment," she said honestly. With each moment awake she could feel her level of discomfort increasing. "I feel better than I did last night even though I probably don't remember all of it," she continued. "How heavily medicated am I at right now?" She asked. She really needed to know her level of functioning.

Booth looked down at his watch. "Ummm," he stuttered as he did the math required to determine how much of the medicine was still in her system. "It's almost time for a couple of your medicines now. You are probably not that high at the moment," he said as he swept a stray lock of her hair off her face and gently tucked it behind her ear being careful not to hurt her at all. He then gave her a sly smile. "Don't worry though, Bones. I'll get your meds and then that pillow there will be talking to you in just a few minutes," he laughed a little.

She rolled her eyes at her partner. "Booth," she protested with more venom than he would have imagined she would have. "I am not the one prone to hallucinatory reactions to nar. . . " she stopped mid word as a jolt of pain shot through her head. "Dammit," she yelped.

"Hey," he ran his hand up and down her arm as he spoke. "You're okay," he consoled. "Let me get you the meds and then I'll make you some cardboard or something for breakfast," he joked about her common breakfast choices.

She gave him a nod through her gritted teeth and set jaw. "Thanks," she managed to push out as she counted backwards from 20 and took a few deep breaths in effort to take the edge off the pain. She assumed she had probably spoken a little too loudly. At that moment, she hated her situation. She couldn't even bicker with Booth like she wanted to do.

She closed her eyes and waited for Booth to return. It must have taken a few minutes after waking up for her brain to register the discomfort because she now officially felt like crap again. _'So much for feeling better,'_ she thought to herself. She also knew at that moment that skipping medication wasn't an option, at least not yet.

Booth returned in just a few minutes. "Here you go, Bones," he said as he entered her bedroom. He handed her the pills and she gladly accepted.

"What all did I just take?" she asked after swallowing the last of the pills and finishing up with a drink of water before handing Booth the cup back.

"Bones," he said in a very gentle tone. "They have you on a lot of stuff right now. I think you should just rest and let me worry about all the details. Just trust me." He hoped she'd take his advice.

She let out a simple sigh. Letting go of control was against every tendency she had. "Booth," she practically begged. "I do trust you but I ... I just need to know what's going on with my body. I need to know exactly what I'm facing," she hoped he'd understand that it wasn't a lack of trust but instead a need to be in control of what little she could control at the moment.

He saw the look in her eyes and knew that she was struggling. He knew that she felt helpless. He could at least let her look through all the information from the hospital. He figured she didn't remember much from the hospital visit anyway. He gave her a nod. "I'll go get all the stuff for you. Just promise me if you feel bad you will rest and that you'll keep lying down," he was stern but compassionate. "Your doc said 30 degrees at all times."

She didn't say anything but Booth knew that was her way of agreeing to his terms. Honestly though, for the first time in her life, she didn't feel like fighting, not even with Booth. She waited for him to leave her bedroom and then closed her eyes out of frustration, self pity, and probably the fact that she felt terrible. She knew the medicine she had just taken would help and she only hoped she would be able to understand exactly what was wrong with her and the treatment path the doctor had chosen before the narcotics made her unable to concentrate and sleepy. Her brain activity seemed to be jumbled enough without medications anyway.

Booth returned in just a few minutes and handed her a stack of papers, the information sheets on her prescriptions, and the medication log he had just made. "Just take it easy," he said as he patted her leg gently. "I'm going to scrounge something up for breakfast. You feel like you can eat?" he asked.

She thought for a second. It was irrational but she was slightly afraid to eat. She knew, however, that the proper nutritional intake would be important to her healing. "I can try," she responded.

"Alright," her partner stood and left the room leaving her to peruse the packet.

The first thing that struck her as she flipped through the information was the organization. Obviously, Booth had organized everything for her. She was shocked to see that he had made a medication log and had marked the time and dosage for each one she had been given. She processed what he had done for a few seconds and that made her laugh slightly. 'He's more of a squint than he thinks he is,' she thought.

Brennan spent the next few minutes looking through all the papers. She understood everything and sighed when she came to the realization that she wouldn't be worth much for the next little bit. She couldn't walk unassisted or even sit up well enough to work on her computer. According to the brochure on perilymph fistulas she could have lingering, permanent effects and that scared her the most. She would be purposeless if that happened. She wouldn't be able to live a life without purpose if she had to deal with some of the conditions for the rest of her life. Even Dr. Wyatt told her that when she chose not to go with Sully. At least she had her novels. She'd never be happy with just best-selling author following her name and not anthropologist but at least it could make her productive. It wasn't a purpose but at least it could keep her busy.

It only took a few seconds for her thoughts to come to the real reason why she hadn't gone with Sully, Booth. Sure Wyatt was right, she couldn't live a life without purpose but that really had nothing to do with not working for a year. It had everything to do with Booth. At some point he'd become her purpose. Working with him, helping him, that's what kept her going everyday. She'd exchanged 3000 year old mummies to help him with his cosmic balance sheet and she didn't mind. Sure, she still got excited to go on digs or if she got a new set of ancient remains but now she always wanted to come back to Booth. She realized at that moment that an actual living being had become her passion.

A tear fell down her weary cheek as she realize that this injury, this damned injury, may have put an end to her work with Booth. If she couldn't run or jump again she wouldn't be able to safely work in the field. She hoped that he would desire to have more than coffee with her from time to time and that he'd still consider her a friend. She knew that she had left a metaphorical mark on him in some way but if they couldn't see each other every day, they would grow apart. It was inevitable.

She was in the midst of what Angela would call a full blown pity party when she was snapped out of her thoughts by a grinning FBI Agent. "Peaches and cardboard with almond milk a la Booth," he said as he entered he bedroom carrying a rattling tray. When he got a good look at her, his worry immediately tripled. "What's wrong?" he questioned.

She did her best to give him a smile. "Nothing really," she lied. "I'm most likely just beginning to feel the effects of the cocktail of medication and everything is just overwhelming," she answered honestly but evasively.

"I know, Bones," he consoled her. "We'll get through this. I'm in this for the long haul," his tone was resolute.

"Booth," she began the automatic protest. "You don't have to stay. I can afford nursing care and I'm sure Angela and my dad would be glad to stop by every few days."

"Bones! Don't even go there. I'm here because you need me and because I WANT to be here. I'm not letting you stay here alone. You're stuck with me," he said with a charm smile. "Now, eat your cardboard."

"It's not cardboard. It's a high energy, high fiber breakfast option," she managed to bicker back before taking the spoon and carefully lifting it to her mouth. Feeding herself was more of a task than she would have liked. Her hands were shaky and unstable but she managed.

After a few minutes, she'd managed to eat an adequate amount of breakfast and Booth was clearing away the dishes. He kept his eyes on her constantly and noticed she was beginning to yawn. "Bones, get some sleep. I'm going to run to the store while you sleep and get some groceries. Call me if you need anything," he finished and made sure she had her cell phone within arm's reach.

What came from her mouth next surprised them both. "Booth?" she waited for him to make eye contact before continuing. "I. . . I really need to use the bathroom and take a shower. I feel disgusting." It was probably the medication that removed her sense of discretion and allowed the words to roll off her tongue.

Those words shook the strong and sturdy Seeley Booth to the core. '_Oh crap!_' he fussed internally and immediately began to think of options in his mind. _'This is not going to be nearly as fun as it should be.'_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N – I'm sorry yet again for the long delay. Life has a way of getting in the way of things. I can promise that I will finish this and all of my other stories. Just be patient with me. Hopefully I still have a few readers left. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit of a filler but it contains a few important things.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs, Thnx4theGum, Sirenizzed, and StefJunkiecat for their feedback and to MickeyBoggs for the editing!**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 10

"Alright, Bones," Booth said as he plundered through her drawers in search of what would definitely make this event much easier on both of them. "You have to have a swim suit around here somewhere." His voice was clearly frustrated. "You have a pool in your apartment building. You have to have a swim suit."

Brennan was still lying on her back, inclined at exactly thirty degrees. "I think I have one in the bottom drawer," her voice was muffled with exhaustion. "Angela bought it. My other ones got lost when I came back from Haiti last year. Remember when the airline lost my suitcase?"

"I remember," he mumbled as he squatted down to the bottom drawer and slid it open. His eyes immediately trailed to the bright blue fabric folded in the corner. He gently grabbed the shiny fabric. "Jesus Christ, Bones!" he yelped as he lifted the fabric, or lack thereof, from the drawer.

"Owwww," she cried as his yelp pierce through her tympanic membranes.

He toned it down a bit. "Sorry, Bones," he apologized genuinely as he carried the fabric in question toward her and positioned himself on the bed. "I just expected more fabric than this. This is not a swim suit," he fussed. "It's a sin."

She allowed herself to laugh slightly at his prudish nature. "I've actually never worn that," she said. "Angela always wanted me to go on some Mediterranean vacation with her so she bought it for me. I suppose I don't have to worry about going on any vacations soon." She couldn't help but sound slightly pitiful.

Booth could sense his partner's frustration so he put on his best charm smile. "Who needs Greek and Italian guys swooning over them?" he kidded. "You have me to wait on you hand and foot and I'm pretty sure they don't have a diner like ours over there."

Brennan cut him a very simple smile. "I suppose you are right. Can I please get a shower now?"

"Just put that on and we'll get this show on the road," he said. He couldn't be sure who the shower was going to be harder for. '_You can do this, Seeley. Just don't focus on her curves and you'll make it,' _he thought to himself.

He helped her sit up slightly and offered her a supporting arm. "You okay?" he asked as she pinched her eyes shut.

"I am trying to be," she replied. "It would be much more pleasant if the room would stop moving," she attempted to joke. Her grip tightened on Booth's forearm.

After a few seconds, she managed to slip her bottoms off under the comforter and slide on the skimpy swimsuit bottoms without much incident. "I really find this unnecessary," she complained softly. "Human bodies are natural and my body is no different from that of other females," she attempted to rationalize when in actuality she wasn't sure she could find the energy to make it through the process of donning the swimsuit top.

"Maybe from your standpoint, Bones," Booth countered. _'Your body drives me crazy clothed. I won't be able to handle it if I see you naked right now," _he thought as he inhaled sharply in effort to calm his body.

"Prude," was all she said as she slid her top off and managed to at least cover her breasts with the top. "You'll have to tie the back," she ordered.

Booth moved to her back and saw one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, her bare back. Her skin was white but it didn't look pale. It was the kind of white that was innocent and pure. He did his best to not drool and quickly tied the offending garment in the back. As soon as he tied it, he quickly headed into the bathroom to start the bath water. She had said she wanted to take a shower but he knew that she wouldn't be able to stand for that long. A bath would be much easier.

"Alright, now Bones," he said. "You want me to carry you into the bathroom?" He knew that she didn't really have a choice. She wasn't really fit to walk but he'd at least make her think she had a choice.

Brennan simply nodded and he lifted her into his arms. He hadn't anticipated his reaction to holding her with so much of her skin exposed. He internally kicked himself for not having her put on a robe before he lifted her up. Putting her down wasn't really an option since it would cause her unnecessary pain and would delay getting her to the bathroom. He knew that he didn't have long before the medications started making her drowsy again. _'Saint Peter, Saint Paul, . . .' _ he began to recite to himself and he also made a mental note to say a few extra Hail Marys later to make up for the thoughts he should be having at that very moment.

If Brennan were her usual self, she would have reacted to the skin to skin contact with her partner, most likely by pushing him away. The contact was very pleasant to her though and she felt very safe in his arms. It was a very nice feeling and very nice feelings didn't seem to be coming very often as of late. She had her eyes pinched shut but she knew when they reached the door to her toilet area. "Just put me down, please," she said without opening her eyes. "I think I can manage on my own in there," she managed a slightly teasing tone. She knew he wouldn't want to accompany her into the restroom considering his issues with the discussion of bodily functions of any sort.

Booth sat her down very gently, thankful for her proclamation that she could handle herself for a few seconds. He knew that she would be able to trail her hand along the wall so the chance of falling was very slim. "Just be careful, Bones," he said. "Yell when you're ready."

Brennan gave him an almost undetectable nod and headed into the restroom.

She was thankful for a few seconds of complete privacy even though it was only to take care of some business. It gave her some time to contemplate her current situation. To her surprise, she didn't hate it. She had Booth, the best example of a strong male she had ever met, at her beck and call. Five years ago, she would have considered his presence infuriating but for some unexplainable reason, she didn't. His presence was strong, secure, and somehow comforting.

After getting lost in her thoughts for a few moments, she called for him. She didn't yell as he had said. She knew that he was probably leaning against the bathroom door listening for any sign of distress. "I'm ready," she said and in an instant, he was coming through the door.

"I got the water ready," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "I figured you like it pretty hot," he said while thinking. '_I won't be needing any hot water for a long, long time.'_

"I do," Brennan said simply.

The next few moments were very, very intimate for both of the participants. It was the type of intimacy that only dear loved ones provided for each other-parents to children, spouse to spouse, and lover to lover. It was certainly not partner to partner activity.

"How ya' doing, Bones," Booth asked as he gently massaged some lavender and chamomile shampoo into her auburn locks. He had been doing increasingly more of the work since her medicine was clearly getting the best of her. He had noticed her eyelids begin to droop and was pretty sure that he had seen her head bob a few times.

She didn't move and for a brief second he wasn't sure that she was going to answer. Finally, after her slowed mind processed the question, she responded. "I'm fine," she said in more of a mumble than actual English. "Don't stop," she finished. She was obviously enjoying the scalp massage she was currently receiving.

"I'd love to keep on, Bones," he said, "But you'll turn into a prune or raisin or something if I let you stay in here too much longer."

"Mmmph," she pouted. Her mind was so dulled that she didn't even consider lecturing him on how she could clearly never turn into a sugary, dried fruit.

Booth instinctively began to laugh. "Did the mighty Temperance Brennan just whine?" he teased. "I never took you for the pouting type."

"It's not funny. I don't feel good. . . I mean well and you are laughing at me," Brennan pouted even further.

He could have picked on her further for the misuse of parts of speech but he didn't. Instead, he felt bad for picking on her and he felt bad about the whole situation. "I know, Bones," he said apologetically. "I know." Her simple whine was all it took to refocus him. He was no longer worried about making contact with her alabaster skin and its impact on him. His focus became getting her comfortable.

By the time they managed to get her hair rinsed without getting so much as a droplet of water in her ears and wash her body, Brennan's energy was totally spent. She was groggy and uncoordinated. Thankfully, though, she managed to pull on a pair of panties and a sports bra while Booth covered his eyes. "Angela get these for you?" he asked as he helped her get on her pair of flannel skull pajama bottoms and tank top.

"Emma and Hayley," she answered. "My birthday – I find them inaccurate but. . ." she couldn't stifle the yawn. "They're warm and thoughtful," she finished before another yawn grew.

"Let's get you back in bed," Booth said as he scooped her back up. "Cam will be over in a little while to check on you. You can nap until then."

She let her head fall onto his shoulder as they took the few short steps to her bedroom. As he settled her onto the bed, she did something that completely surprised him. She covered his strong hand with her smaller one and stopped him from stepping away. "Booth," she began, "thanks for everything. I'm not sure what I did to deserve you. . . I . . . thanks, Booth."

Booth felt it at that very moment. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she knew. Sure, the drugs might have dulled her defenses and allowed some tightly hidden things seep to the surface but she knew. She knew she loved him and she knew that he loved her. It was there and somehow, sometime soon, he'd act upon things.

_TBC. . .Hopefully I'll have more up soon. Feel free to stalk me for an update._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N – I really don't have a lot of excuses for why this is so late. I've just struggled with finding time and finding the words to put on the paper. Whether it's writer's block or just lack of motivation, I'm working on it. I do have the rest of this story outline so hopefully I'll be able to move forward.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs and Junkiecat for staying on me to write and to MickeyBoggs for editing. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and will let me know what you think. Thanks so much for all the review you guys have left.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 11

Booth busied himself in his partner's kitchen. He was making a conscious effort to hum so that he wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on the conversation down the hall. He wasn't sure how much true conversation there was but he didn't want to add any pressure for Brennan. The last few days had been hard enough for her.

After the whole debacle with the swimsuit and bath, the pair had settled into a comfortable routine. Somehow, Booth managed to become a little less of a prude when it came to helping Bones dress and bathe. It wasn't that the mere sight of her skin didn't cause an electric jolt in his body because, clearly, it did. It was that he figured out that it was important for him to push any feelings of passion and lust deep down under the surface in effort to meet the physical needs of his partner. He helped her wash her hair, brush her teeth, and even make the needed trips to and from the restroom.

He hated seeing her in her current state. She was weakened and fragile, not the Temperance Brennan he knew. Most days, she formed only a few coherent sentences in the brief periods of wakefulness she had. She told him thank you and described how she was feeling. She never complained, however. She was mostly quiet and that scared him. He wanted to see her fight return. He knew it was buried under a cloud of drugs and pain. He just couldn't wait for it to make its way to the surface.

The one time of the day he could expect to hear her was when Cam came over. She had to give Brennan a daily, transtympanic injection of a steroid. Booth didn't even know what transtympanic meant until that idiot scientist hurt his partner. He hated that he now knew that it meant Cam would have to use a long but tiny needle to deliver medicine past his partner's eardrum to try and make the hole in her ear heal. He hated that he'd hear her practically scream every time Cam had to give her the medicine. Screaming was painful for her but it happened anyway. It must have been some kind of reflex that she tried her best to control. It was a predictable reflex. She would be completely silent until Cam began to push the clear liquid out of the syringe. A split second later, the screams would come. The liquid would burn and make Brennan feel as though hydrochloric acid was working to melt through her temporal bone. It was a burn unlike any other she had ever felt.

The screams would be momentary, thankfully. Booth would allow her to hold on to him while Cam gave the injection. Her screams were delivered right into his ear but he didn't care. Any discomfort he felt was nothing compared to hers. Finally, when Cam would withdraw the needle, the screams would stop and Brennan would lie completely still. Sometimes, Booth would pretend he didn't see the tears rolling down her cheeks and sometimes, he'd brush them away with his thumb.

The first few times they went through this routine, Brennan fell asleep within a few minutes after Cam finished but for the past two days, she had managed to stay alert enough to have a conversation with Cam. She wanted an update on her condition. Just like he had the previous day, Booth slipped out of her bedroom to afford her some privacy. He knew Cam would tell him whatever he needed to know. That's why he found himself in his current position, trying to find something to do to pass the few brief minutes until Cam made her way into the kitchen.

"How is she?" Booth asked without even turning around. To anyone else, Cam's entrance into the kitchen would have gone unnoticed but Booth's natural instincts were always on high alert. He wouldn't miss something like that.

The pathologist let out a slight sigh or wince, Booth wasn't sure which it was, before she answered. "More aware of things," she said dryly. "For her," she went on, "that could be a good thing or a bad thing. It's certainly easier when she doesn't know where she is."

Booth sat on the bar stool with a very ungentlemanly thud. "I hate this," he said without real hesitation.

Cam took note of his clear frustration and positioned herself in the bar stool next to him.

"It's just so damned frustrating, Camille," he went on. "I am scared that she'll never be the person she wants to be."

"Seeley," Cam interrupted.

"Don't call me Seeley," Booth bantered back almost automatically.

"Then don't call me Camille, big man," she said with a slight smile, as much of a smile as she could muster given the situation. "Dr. Brennan is damn frustrating but she's also damn strong. I wish I could tell you that the hole in her ear would heal but I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that even if it doesn't heal, she'll figure out some way to be who she wants to be again. I mean, think about it, after all the hell she's been through in her life, she's still a proud, independent woman," she placed her hand on his forearm for comfort. "Most women would end up married to some beer bellied buffoon just because they lost one parent during their teen years."

Booth laughed a little bit. "That's true."

"Besides, she's already using big words," Cam explained with a laugh. "She, said, and I quote, '_I need to know the degree of fluid seepage from my endolymphatic sac into my tympanic cavity.'_"

"That's my Bones," Booth practically yelped. Brennan would explain to him that it was some kind of scientific reflex or something. He didn't care what the hell it was but at that very moment, his heart jumped and he had the assurance he was looking for. She was still his Bones. Underneath all the pressure, pain, and medication she was still the Temperance Brennan he knew, that he loved.

* * *

It was the morning of Brennan's follow up doctor's visit and even though he would deny it if asked about it, Booth was as nervous as a high school kid waiting for a team roster to be posted. He did his best to find something to do. He'd already wiped down the counters and finished washing the dishes. He threw a quick glance at the clock on the microwave and realized he had about fifteen minutes to spare before he needed to wake his partner.

She had been doing much better in the two days that had passed since he had his conversation with Cam. Her periods of wakefulness had begun to increase and now it seemed she could manage to hold her eyes open and carry on a conversation for a few minutes in between doses of heavy medication. Seeley Booth, however, was no fool. He could see that she still wasn't doing well. He noticed how her eyes danced around when she got uncomfortable and how she would grasp the pillow or comforter to calm her dizziness even though she was lying down. He saw some improvements but he couldn't be sure if those improvements were enough, enough to indicate that she would get better.

He sighed loudly and quickly slipped out the front door and headed down to retrieve her mail.

It was only a brief moment or so later, but if possible, Booth returned to her apartment even more discouraged than when he had left. He let the mail fall to the counter with an ungraceful thump. He stared at the stack with fear and anger. If Bones was herself, she would have told him how irrational it was to express anger toward inanimate objects. How he wished he could argue with her right now.

He picked up the envelope in question and stared at it. How much information Booth should divulge to his partner had become an issue over the last couple of days. He didn't know if he should be completely honest with her or if he should hold things back so she wouldn't get discouraged.

His current conundrum just became more confusing for him as he stared at the letter in front of him. He didn't have permission to open her mail and for the most part, he hadn't done so. He simply divided the mail into stacks, junk mail, envelopes for her accountant or publicist, and personal correspondence. Today, however, he held onto one envelope and tried to decide if he should open it or put it in a pile.

The envelope was plain, nothing special. It was the writing on it that told him about the contents. He recalled the other time he'd seen an envelope like this one. A few months earlier, he'd come into Bones' office and she'd told him that he was going to China. He'd laughed because she teased him that he was going with her and that just because he said he wasn't going 'in a very convincing manner' didn't get him out of it.

That simple memory, no different than many of the other 'bickering' memories he held of his partner, was enough to tell him that this particular envelope held an invitation to return to China and actually have to opportunity to do what she didn't get to do a few months earlier.

He knew he probably shouldn't but he grabbed her letter opener and quickly broke the seal on the envelope. After pulling the simple piece of thick paper out and reading it, his suspicions were confirmed. Another skeleton had been found in that same cave in China and they needed her. . .the best forensic anthropologist in the world. . . to come and work on it. The invitation was to spend a month in China. The only smile to grace his face was the one that came when he read, 'Your FBI partner's presence is also requested as a matter of personal and equipment security.'

Booth was always a man of action. He knew that he had time but he didn't want to wait to take action on this. He needed to get this out of the way. He had to do something to take the pressure off of his partner. She didn't need to worry about China right now. She needed to worry about what was going on inside her head.

Maybe he should have thought longer or harder about the situation but he didn't. Almost as if it was a reflex action, he picked up the phone and dialed the number listed on the letter.

It was only a few minutes later that he returned his partner's cordless phone to its cradle and glanced at the clock. It was time to wake her up and get her to her appointment.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – Yep – this is real. I actually have another update ready. When I have the time and when the creativity is cooperating I can actually write. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story. Thanks so much for the reviews on the previous chapters. I'm going to keep trying to churn out chapters. I'd like to get this one finished soon since it's from season 4. *sigh***

**Thanks to my creative genius friends for helping with the writing (you know who you are). Also, thanks to MickeyBoggs for her proofing skills.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 12

"That is extremely unnecessary," the slightly pained voice echoed through the hallway causing Booth to jump slightly. His concentration on the task at hand was broken. She had heard his rustling as she woke from a now all to frequent nap. Her curiosity got the best of her and she decided she felt well enough to see what her partner was doing. Initially, she postulated he must be dusting. "I can hire a service to handle that," she said.

His lightening fast reflexes had him at her side almost instantly. "Bones, what the hell?" he said harshly completely ignoring her question. All that mattered to him was for her to make it to the hall without falling. "Just because two days ago your doctor told you that you could sit up doesn't mean that you can be wandering all over the world without help."

If Brennan had been 100 percent healthy, she would have rolled her eyes at her partner's obvious display of over-protectiveness. Right now, however, she settled for cupping her hand over her still healing ear to relieve some of the pressure that was building from standing for just a few minutes. She then put up the fight he was so thankful she had in her. "I hardly call walking 10 meters wandering around the world."

It might as well have been a trip around the world, though since she was relieved that his strong arm around her midsection gave her some support as he led her to the couch. "What are you doing anyway?" she said as she sat and realized he wasn't dusting.

Booth's face contorted slightly at the question. In some ways, it was easier when she was doped to the gills. Now that she was displaying some outward signs of improvement, she was beginning to ask questions. It was both a relief and a burden for the FBI Agent. His partner was on the mend but she'd probably put herself in the hospital by stopping him from helping her and doing too much too soon.

"Oh, ummm," he stammered in effort to gingerly word his answer. "I was just straightening a few things." It wasn't exactly a lie and based on the fact that she pulled her feet onto the couch and moved to lie back down, he assumed he'd managed to escape the interrogation he figured would be coming. He accepted her now closed eyes as approval and he returned to his task occassionally throwing glances at his partner as she slipped back into a peaceful slumber.

******  
Approximately 45 minutes had passed when the snap of a plastic tote lid made caused Brennan to jump. She winced and let out an audible "Owww!"

"Bones, you alright?" he practically jumped over the coffee table and was at her side.

"FINE," she said dryly but with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "I'd be even better if you'd refrain from repeating that sharp noise that seems to be at a frequency that resonates with my ossicles."

"That's good, Bones," Booth said. "You're using words college professors don't know," he teased but immediately softened when he saw her put her arm over her eyes out of discomfort. He knew she still wasn't well but was doing much better than the previous week.

Her doctor's visit had been invasive but yielded good results. Her imaging studies had shown that fluid leakage had diminished from her initial hospital visit and that scar tissue seemed to be forming around the fistula. '_She's not out of the woods,' _Dr. Hawkins had said. '_She still has a high degree of nystagmus and her hearing in her right ear is extremely poor. Only time will tell but for now, I'm confident that emergency surgery isn't necessary.'_

The pair had left the doctor's office with a new confidence that with time they would return to normal. Now, however, the difficulty was finding a balance. Sure, Brennan had improved and could hold her head up without vomiting incessantly but the dizziness, pressure, and pain were still debilitating. She tried to fight it but she really couldn't. She still needed help.

"You want your pain meds?" Booth asked as they both focused on reality instead of their spiraling thoughts.

Brennan cracked one eye in response. "I think that would probably be advisable," she said with a sigh.

I was only a few seconds later that Booth returned with two white pills and a small glass of water. Brennan instinctively popped the pills and sat up a little straighter. The urge to lie back down was there but she knew that the medication would cause her to fall asleep within twenty minutes. She wasn't willing to give in to sleep earlier than she had to, though. She needed to capitalize on wakefulness while it was there.

She studied her partner for a few minutes. His actions confused her. She looked around the room. Things were different but the same. It was quite confusing. Finally, her foggy mind focused on an object, rather, a missing object. "Booth?" she said quite timidly.

"Hey, Bones," he said gently in response. He placed a piece of plain brown paper on the floor and walked toward her. "What's up? You need something?"

She made a conscious effort to speak confidently and not sound like a bumbling idiot. "Where is my African fertility goddess statue that was sitting on my foyer table?"

Booth didn't need sniper skills to know that he'd been busted. "Oh, that, ummmm," he tried to phrase his answer very gingerly.

"Booth," she sternly urged him to get to the point.

"Well, Dr. Hawkins talked to me and Angela while you were back in imaging. He said that the biggest risk to you was injuring yourself from a fall. He said you could hit your head on a table or sharp object and scramble that pretty brain of yours," he said and was pleased that she wasn't yelling at him yet.

"Angela and I talked and we thought it would be best if we put all the objects up that might be dangerous for you to fall into," he said with a charm smile.

"How did you determine what objects might pose as a potential danger," she asked.

The tone of his partner's voice stunned him slightly. It was her interrogation voice. The one he had taught her that she only used when they knew they had the suspect where they wanted him. '_Dammit! I taught her to interrogate people and now she is using it against me,' _He thought to himself before he spoke. At this point, honesty and the fact that he knew she had just popped two narcotic pain pills were his only hopes. "Well. . . I ummmm considered, rationally," he threw one of her favorite words in for good measure. "We considered objects that might be dangerous for a child. I went back to when Parker was learning to -," he was interrupted by an obviously demoralized anthropologist's voice.

"Is that what I am now?" she asked, "A child?"

"Bones, no," he said as he moved closer to her. If she was sitting completely upright, he would have pulled her into a hug. "You are NOT a child. You are just recovering. We just want to make sure you can get better without hurting yourself," he said.

She gave him a simple nod. He figured she folded very quickly due to the cloud medication that was rolling into her mind and muddling her thoughts. "You know," she managed to say with a certain degree of clarity. "There is a much higher likelihood that I would strike my head on my coffee table than on my African fertility goddess."

A sly grin grew on his face. "Well, Angela and I have that one covered," he said hoping she wouldn't prod further.

No such luck. "What did you do?" she asked

Silence filled the room.

"Booth?" she said again and this time she opened both eyes that clearly told of her resolve to know what his plan entailed.

"Let's just say that the Jeffersonian shipping department doesn't have as much bubble wrap as you would think they have," he said. "Well, they don't have as much as they used to have."

"Really, Booth?" she managed to protest before the yawn overtook her body. "I'm fine," she said as her eyes began to droop.

He smiled, stood up, and went back to work. "You will be, Bones. You will be."

********  
Brennan was thankful for a changing of the guard. She found herself seated on the couch as the light of sunset trickled into her living room. Her torso was covered by a throw blanket but her feet were poking out from beneath the cover.

"I appreciate the gesture, Ange, but I find it unnecessary to have freshly manicured toenails when I am under house arrest for at least another month," Brennan said with frustration.

"Sweetie, it's not house arrest. You're getting better," Angela said. "But. . . If I was under house arrest, I would want that studly man guarding the door. You're actually lucky. Too bad the doctor says no romps under the covers."

"Angela!" Brennan said more loudly than she should be talking given her still delicate condition. "How on earth do you know I can't have sexual intercourse and why would you assume that Booth and I would be bumping funnies if I didn't have a medical condition that prohibited it?"

"First of all, it's bumping uglies!" the artist laughed. "Next, you and Booth have more pressure between you guys than Old Faithful. One of these days, you're going to explode if it's not released."

Brennan, surprisingly, didn't deny anything. "As Booth would say, we have both left metaphorical marks on each other."

"Marks are one way to put it," Angela said with a smirk. "Personally, I'd let Booth go ahead and mark his territory if I were you."

"Human males don't. . ." Brennan said before realizing she was being too literal. "I think I get what you mean but I'm not sure that he would want that kind of relationship with me."

Angela capped the nail polish bottle and let out a huff. "Seriously, Sweetie. Stop playing Miss Clueless and admit what you see." The frustration in Angela's tone was very clear. "That man has been by your side for almost two weeks. He only left tonight because Parker had an end of the year presentation at school. He'll probably bust through that door any minute terrified that I let you conk your head on your coffee table or something," she went on. "He loves you, Sweetie. That's what love is. Wanting to make sure the person you love is safe, healthy, and happy."

Brennan sighed. "I'm not sure that it's love. It's certainly a very mutualistic relationship. We both benefit from being together professionally," the anthropologist said in effort to minimize her feelings for the FBI Agent in question.

"Just professionally?" Angela asked with a raised eyebrow.

Brennan knew when she had been caught. Her friend was right. She and Booth were better together in every facet. All in all they made each other better people.

Even though the revelation hit Brennan, she wasn't ready to deal with it. Right now, she felt like a lackluster person. She wasn't strong and she needed to be the person she truly was to address the issue of her relationship with Booth. "Angela," she said with a bit of a forced weakness. She needed to be convincing. "I'm really not up to talking about this right now."

"I know, Sweetie," Angela said in a compassionate, soft tone. "When you are better, though, we are talking about this."

Brennan nodded and closed her eyes. "I know," she said simply.

"No sleeping, yet." Angela said. "I still have to do your nails."

Brennan cracked an eye. "Freshly manicured nails are not required for sitting on my rear end doing nothing all day," she fussed. She knew she wasn't ready to work and she certainly didn't feel like it but she still felt so useless.

"Hey," Angela encouraged. "The doctor gave you a good report. AND Cam told me that whenever you feel up to it, she'll put some stuff on the network and you can access it through your VPN and do a little work."

That caused Brennan to perk up a little bit. "Maybe in a couple of days I can actually focus on the computer screen. I tried opening my email this morning and my head started pounding so I had to stop," she pouted a little. "I can't even read the anthropology journals I hold subscriptions to and Booth refused to read them to me. He says it's like reading the book of Kings in the Bible with all the weird names and words."

Angela snickered. "If you want, I can have Daisy or Vincent come by to read them to you."

Brennan cringed at the thought. "That won't be necessary," she said as she gave her hand to Angela to start the 'totally unnecessary' manicure.


End file.
